Revealing the Truth
by Ryu1284
Summary: The world is changing, not by choice but by consequence. The development of full dive technology has altered the face of scientific understanding as we know it and unbeknownst to anyone, one particular incident would serve as the catalyst for world events. Thrusting one person onto the world stage, placing them squarely in the spotlight of humanity; on a crash course with destiny.
1. Chapter 1: A Game of Death

Arc: Aincrad

 **The Power of Three I**

* * *

The message was unequivocal. Clear the game, beat every boss on all 100 floors and you would be set free. That was the ultimatum they had been given, ascend the iron castle floating in the sky to attain their freedom or face being stuck within it for all eternity.

When faced with an unexpected obstacle there were two types of people in this world. The first of which would have no reaction, as if what they were told or what they had seen had not happened and as such. Either they would carry on as normal or, as was the more common reaction; nothing. They wouldn't react, instead standing still as they tried processing what was in front of them. In contrast to this you had people who were the complete opposite. They were able to make and act on a plan regardless of the unexpected obstacle and respond to the situation around them.

In a similar vein to a unexplained obstacle or an unexpected occurrence Kayaba's speech had elicited such reactions from those stuck in the main plaza of the town of beginnings. People screamed, they shouted, they dropped to their knees. Like the majority of people would, many of the players couldn't cope with the reality they had been given and thus chose to shout out their disbelief and frustration.

"You can't do this!"

"I can't be trapped here, I can't."

"Its ok, its fine. This is a dream right… Right!"

Each and every person within the plaza reacted in their own way. But regardless of what they said, or how much they shouted. The result was the same. If they wanted to leave, they would have to fight their way out and achieve freedom of their own accord.

One such player, Kazuto. Was in a state of disbelief, was this real? Was what Kayaba actually said real? Did they really need to beat all 100 floors if they wanted to get out of this nightmare and return to the real world? How long would that take, the beta had lasted an entire summer and they had only been able to reach the 10th floor. Based on that fact alone could he expect to be trapped in this game of death for a year? Two years? Thoughts of his life outside flooded into him, his sister who was actually his cousin, his mother who was actually his aunt. How would the two of them react when they found out what had happened. Sure he may have been keeping them at a distance after finding out their identities, but that didn't mean he didn't care about them.

Emotional heartache began to well within him, his hands feeling numb as they hanged at his sides. He hadn't been good to the people who had so graciously taken care of him until now, he knew that. And now, with this; would he not get the chance for recompense?

No! That couldn't happen, he couldn't let that happen.

This game wouldn't beat him. He had so much left to do, so much to apologize for. He had to repay his aunt for taking care of him from such an early age and he had to reconcile his relationship with Suguha. She cared about him, perhaps more than a sister should and he knew that. After all, it was what had caused him to push her away in the first place, not wanting her to get so close that it would ultimately hurt her. But that didn't matter now, this was his chance, his one last wake up call to say that if he didn't try and do something now then there was no going back.

He clenched his fists and turned his gaze from the brickwork floor below to the bright blue sky above. He would beat this game, he would get out of this hellish nightmare. And when he did, all those years of help and love and support would be returned in kind. Tenfold.

With his resolve settled Kirito trained his vision on the area around him, still filled with players in various states of disbelief and rejection. This was his chance, if he wanted to survive in this world he needed levels. Levels meant money and experience which both resulted in a higher chance of survival. Before long those who decided they wanted to fight to live would filter through the town and spill out onto the mob fields immediately surrounding it. If he wanted to get the levels and experience he was looking for he needed to move, and he needed to move now.

"We need to move, now." He spoke, little more than a whisper over the continuous cries of the players. Each of which were now a life like recreation of themselves in the real world.

"Huh," Came the reply from the intended recipient. Who, still coming to terms with what Kayaba had said, was slightly out of it when Kirito had spoken to him and subsequently reminded him of what had happened earlier that day.

It had been a meeting of pure chance. Klein and his friends had known each other since high school and had been using online gaming as a way to keep in touch after graduation and going their separate ways. Naturally, after the announcement of the first fully fledged MMO for full dive technology they had no choice but to jump in and experience everything that it had to offer. Like a group of children on Christmas day they had eagerly waited in line to make sure they could get their hands on some of the first copies on offer. Though they had decided to meet up at a set time. Klein had chosen to take his child on Christmas day act to the next level by talking himself into logging in an hour early.

A ' _simple test of the system_ ' he called it. Though in reality it was just that he couldn't wait. And so after starting up the device, logging in and creating his character he was dropped into the middle of the town of beginnings. Awe and wonderment consumed him as he looked around, the area so life like and the body he was moving made it fill as if he were actually there. The background sounds of the town filled his ears, the ambient chatter of daily life serving to help set the mood. Looking around people could be seen logging in and some had already formed groups of two or three, presumably in a similar vein to what he and his friends had planned to do later.

He wasn't sure why but it was during this moment of simple amazement at the technology on show that a movement caught his eye. A player dressed in blue with leather straps that signified the starting gear who moved swiftly past the exit of the plaza, perhaps it was the speed that they were moving at or the way they moved as if they had purpose. Whatever the reason the player had managed to catch his attention and not wanting to lose them in the thrall of the town he took off running.

* * *

"Oh god why! Why would you do that!?" The screams of an inexperienced player could be heard by all those on the plateau at the christening of his first attack. The screams in question were emanating from a man who had just been hit in that most delicate of places, his very manhood had been put on the line only to be punished for his owners inadequacies.

"You know it doesn't hurt right? There's no pain feedback in this game."

"Ahh, ah, ah." He's screams slowed before coming to a halt. "Huh, you know what, you're right I can't feel a thing."

A sigh of exhaustion could be heard from the player in blue. Kirito had been trying to help this new player, for the past half hour with little success. Though he had thought it was easy enough to pick up the combat in SAO, Klein seamed insistent on proving otherwise.

"I told you already, you're not going to make it anywhere just waving your sword about. You need to get the system to activate a sword skill if you want to do any sort of significant damage."

Still reeling from his unfortunate defeat, even if there wasn't physical damage it still affected him mentally. Klein merely looked at Kirito as if he were speaking in some foreign language. Sword skills? The system? Why was he talking about it as if the system was some form of sapient being. Whatever it was he couldn't make head nor tails of it and Kirito's explanations wasn't getting him anywhere.

Seeing that his advice had only served to further confuse the poor man Kirito instead decided that as always actions speak louder than words. Thankfully the boar that had just attacked Klein would serve as the perfect test subject, having merely backed off to ready itself for another attack. Pulling the starter sword from his back Kirito lowered his center of gravity, it wasn't necessary but it helped him get a better kick off the ground. Maneuvering the sword to sit pointed behind himself he turned it to lay horizontal with his foe, a move which would allow him to activate his chosen sword skill **«** Horizontal Strike **»** **.** Waiting for the the boar to begin its charge Kirito narrowed his eyes as he focused on it, cutting out the view of the surrounding area. As if on cue the boar released a cry before kicking off with all four legs and charging towards him. Responding in kind to the impending attack Kirito too kicked off the floor before breaking into a sprint toward the boar. Waiting until they were mere feet apart he twisted the sword in his hand, ensuring that it would now be in the correct position for system to recognize it as the activation motion for a sword skill.

The key with **«** Horizontal Strike **»** was that unlike other skills it depended a great deal on the players own strength, as they had to physically drag the sword through their target. A fact Kirito was aware of and accounted for. By breaking into a sprint himself he would be able to build up a good amount of momentum, which he could then use to aid him in pulling his sword through his foe. A plan that came to fruition as he and the boar met, at which point he was able to easily slice along the side of it while taking a step to the right. Such an attack was overkill for a simple boar, considering its level and health count. But by doing so it allowed him to take them out in one fell swoop. As evidenced by the feral cry released behind him as the boar's health dropped to zero before shattering into a shower of sparkling polygons.

Satisfied with the results Kirito closed the popup window informing him of his victory spoils before turning back to face Klein, who up to this point had been watching in a state of disbelief.

"See," he questioned. "You just need to have the skill equipped and make the right motion, the system will take care of the rest."

To demonstrate his point he pulled his sword back, ensuring that the hilt was sitting next to his hip before once again lowering his center of gravity and rotating the sword in such a way that it sat at a 45 degree angle. Like before, the system recognized it as the motion for a sword skill, this time for **«** Vertical Strike **»** and the sword glowed a dim orange color. After reaching its peak brightness the sword was swung diagonally upwards, leaving a slightly luminous trail in its wake.

"Once you get the hang of it it's easy. Just takes a bit of practice to get the angles right."

Wanting to take full advantage of the advice that Kirito had given him, Klein pulled himself up from the ground before also removing his own sword from its scabbard on his hip. "l-like this?" He questioned, attempting to reenact the sword skill **«** Horizontal Strike **»** that he had seen just moments ago. Though unlike the version he had seen, it felt as though he was just slicing at thin air.

"Hmm, rotate your wrist a little more clockwise. You're positioning's good but you're slightly off on the rotation."

Klein had thought that he had the rotation and position the same as what he had seen, but apparently not. Wanting to at least be able to use one sword skill before going it alone he took Kirito's advice, continue to rotate his grip on the sword until finally he felt a jolt of extra weight hit his hand. Sure enough when he looked back there was the sword, glowing a faint red color to indicated that a sword skill had been activated. Elated at his ability to activate a sword skill, even if it was a basic one. He turned again to face in front of him before moving his arm forward slightly to trigger the skill. While releasing an accompanying yell fit for a warrior his sword lurched forward, leaving a red line behind it.

Despite his success the next thing that Klein saw was green, or more precisely the green and brown of the grass field that they had been practicing in.

"What the hell man!" He shouted, while once again pushing himself up off the ground.

"Ah, I probably should have mentioned that some skills require you to move with them." Came Kirito's frankly unconcerned response while he rubbed the back of his neck and showed a somewhat apprehensive smile.

"Yeah! You should've told me. I could've done without the face full of dirt."

"Well I had to learn the hard way so I figured you should to. Besides just be glad you were able to activate a sword skill, it normally takes most people a couple of hours to get the hang of it."

"Yeah?" Klein asked, surprised. "So I'm like some awesome prodigy that you only see every few thousand years." He cheered to himself while throwing a fist of accomplishment in the air.

The two of them would look back on this day in years to come, at which time Kirito would admit that in truth most players were able to get the hang of sword skills within 10 minutes. Though at the time, he didn't have the heart to tell him. Why crush a man's dreams when they were just that, dreams. Dreams in a virtual world.

* * *

"We need to move now, come on!" Still trying to remove his new friend from his trance like state Kirito had taken to shouting and shaking him.

"W-Wah, what?" He questioned, still processing what Kayaba had said.

"If we want any chance of surviving this ordeal we need to get moving, like now." His words came across as somewhat demanding, though the reality of their situation more than called for it.

By this point the plaza had all but descended into feverous panic and chaos. Filled with screams and shouting from all manner of people, those denying what they had been told and those crying over what they had been told. Some had dropped to the floor, unable to stand with the weight of the situation. While others began to scramble for the exits, either hoping to find solace within the town or looking to form party's with those they knew. Held within that plaza was a perfect display of humanity. The part of humanity that was everything that people would wish to deny. When faced with the very real possibility of death people scrambled, they fought, they forgot. What had once been a cheerful atmosphere had descended into a haven of chaos. Regardless of what people may say, when faced with such a fact all manner of civility fell away. Leaving nothing more than those who would do what they needed to, to survive. Relationships, friendships, party's and alliance's. They meant nothing in this cold virtual world, it was dog eat dog and only those willing to take that step, past good graces and into the realm of pure madness, would survive to tell its tale.

Having noticed that most people were in fact starting to scramble out of the plaza, Kirito once again implored his friend to get moving.

"Now!" He shouted. "Either you're with me, or you're on your own." And after giving such a deliberation he turned towards the closest exit, a crowd of people between him and it. Though if such an obstacle was going to stop him from making it out of the plaza, he may as well have just given up there and then. Using his superior build he pushed his way past people and in between groups, what he lacked in strength he made up for in his agility. Looking back he once again saw his friend, only this time it seemed that he had made his decision. With his aid the two of them were easily able to push their way past the large crowd and emerged on the other side.

While the main streets had been designed with the entire player base in mind, it was never intended to hold that number all at once. Thankfully for the two of them Kirito had been selected as one of the lucky few to participate in the beta and as such knew the layout of the town of beginnings better than most. Though it wasn't a fact that he would openly disclose now, he had a pretty good idea that beta testers were going to be at the forefront of people's anger. The information that he had obtained throughout the beta would serve him well, with the memory of the backstreets being first.

By utilizing the back streets to their advantage the two of them were easily able to make it past the majority of players and before long had arrived at the east gate. While the town was designed to be somewhat symmetrical people were more likely to head either north or west, both had easy to access fields that contained some of the easiest and most abundant mobs on the floor. By comparison to the south was cold ice mountains and to the east was a set of hilly, forested terrain, both of which could serve as a natural barrier to put off new players from venturing into them.

Pulling out a map of the floor he had acquired earlier in the day Kirito shared it to Klein.

"The main path through the mountains goes through here," He explained as he ran his finger along the map's outline of the mountain pass that cut through the east side of the map. "There's a town on the other side that has some easy starting quests and should let us level up pretty quickly. So what do you say?"

Having not spoken since leaving the plaza Klein had been content to watch and listen. By this point he had gotten a pretty good grasp of the situation and was starting to understand what Kirito was planning. The way he saw it players had two options, stay holed up in some inn in the town of beginnings and wait to be rescued. Or try and fight your way out and be the one to ensure your own survival, the later was apparently what Kirito had chosen and by the sounds of it he was acutely aware of how important it was that they got a head start. Being at the forefront of the games progress may have put them at greater risk, but it would also give them the best chance of survival if this was the option they were going with.

Despite the logic with which the two of them had analysed the situation and that ultimately they had reached the same conclusion…

"Sorry." Klein apologised. Sending his new friend into a state of confusion.

"You've already done so much to help me and I really want to pay you back. But, " he paused for a moment, looking back in the direction of the plaza that they had come from before turning back to face Kirito and pointing a thumb in it's direction. "My friends are back there. I've known them since High School and I couldn't just abandon them."

For Kirito, his response was troubling. The mountain pass was tough enough for a experienced group of players, but by making use of hidden trails and a small but agile party it would be possible to make it through quickly without the need to fight every mob they came across. If it was just him and Klein then it would be a cake walk, but if they were a party of three or four. He didn't like the odds of success.

"How many?" He asked.

"Huh,"

"How many friends, if it's just a couple we can meet up with them and still make it through today."

"Oh, umm six? Yeah it'd be six including me."

Six was a steep number, way beyond his own calculations. That was less a party and more a small guild. He wouldn't be able to use the same strategy as in the beta if he had that many people with him and then there was the fact that six people would be following him, looking to him for some sort of leadership. If he was being honest it wasn't something he thought he could do. After the incident with his sister he had slowly began to withdraw from people. He stopped meeting up with others and the only significant IRL contact he had was with his family, which even then was more out of necessity. It had been easy enough with Klein as the both of them were hidden behind the mask of their avatars, something about talking to people from behind a screen just made it a whole lot easier. But now, with that stripped away and his real identity revealed his social anxiety was coming back to him.

Then it hit him, this was the exact resolve he had been talking about earlier. This was the very reason that he had grown so distant from his family. Hadn't he said that he was going to be better? That he wasn't going to push people away again and that he was going to reconcile with them when he made it out of this ordeal?

So, with the fire of his resolve within him Kirito delivered his answer.

"That could work, I'd have to make some adjustments but we can still do it with a party of seven."

"You sure." Klein questioned, apprehensive at the answer. "We'd just be slowing you down and halting your own progress."

"Its fine," he replied. Putting a hand up to stop Klein from interjecting. "This is as much for my own sake as it is for yours."

A sense of overwhelming relief flooded over Klein as Kirito gave his answer. He was sure that him and his friends could make it alone, they had played all manner of different MMO's and each one had turned out just fine. But with Kirito's help then they could be sure of their success and so, in an effort to officially form this new partnership Klein extended his hand.

"Name's Klein." He spoke, the happiness at being able to secure such valuable help still evident in his voice.

"Kirito." Kirito responded before taking hold of the presented hand and in essence, cementing their friendship for the future.

* * *

Not long after they cemented their agreement Klein had gone back to the main plaza in search of his friends. Leaving Kirito to stand near the east gate and contemplate his decision. Had he made the right call when agreeing to help all of them? Klein seemed like a logical choice given that the two of them were together at the time, though that was merely in regards to him. Moving so many people through the mountain pass would be difficult for a experienced party let alone a group of new players. A thought that gave him some measure of doubt in his decision. Should he just go? If he left now he could easily make it through the pass, reaching the town on the other side by nightfall and Klein's group would be none the wiser.

While contemplating his actions Kirito's attention was pulled towards the main road that led up to the east gate. A party of three players had apparently decided that they would also be taking on the mountain pass, foregoing the ease of the open fields offered by the west and north gates. Given the fact that the party was running to the gate rather than walking and were equipped with no less than two mace users it was evident that they were likely beta testers. At the very least one of them may have been. Their choice of equipment being all the evidence he needed, as the main mobs in the mountain pass were feral mountain goats. Who, unlike the boar's of the open field had a much tougher hide, leading to the amount of damage that swords, daggers and spears could deal being halved. In contrast to this they were weak to blunt attacks, making the weapon choice of mace an excellent counter to their unique design.

Not wanting to be caught out Kirito backed himself into one of the alley's, allowing the darkness cast by the surrounding buildings shadows to consume his figure. As he had hoped the group of players passed without incident, apparently more focused on getting to the next town over than looking for other players to bolster their numbers.

Moving back into the light he continued to look back down the road in search of Klein and his party. Though this time he felt more confident in his decision. The previous party had reminded him that this decision could also prove to be an opportunity for him. By helping out such a tight knit group of friends now, he was likely to build up some form of standing with them. If he played his cards right he may be able to use them in the future. The idea sounded almost barbaric and the thought alone disgusted him, though he was beginning to see the situation for what it was.

' _If I want to survive here I've got to do what I need to. Regardless of the consequences.'_ When everything else was stripped away that was his true feelings. He had made a decision to make it out of this hell and get back to the real world, if he had to use others to achieve those aims then so be it.

Having talked himself into this being the best option he was pulled from his musings when he identified a group of players in the distance. A hyperactive player leading the front as they ran towards him and waved their arms about. The sight was reminiscent of two old friends meeting again for the first time in years, though the look on all of the trailing players faces proved otherwise.

"Hey!" Klein shouted, hoping to catch Kirito's attention before reaching him. "Hey Kirito, I found em!"

Slightly embarrassed at being called out by name Kirito hung his head before covering his eyes with his hand. Yes Klein he could see that you had found them, but you didn't need to announce it to the whole player base.

Coming to a stop just before him Klein killed over as he placed his hands on his knees, attempting to catch the breath he had lost from being so overzealous and running to meet him. An act that the rest of the party quickly followed as one by one they also reached Kirito, only unlike Klein some of them dropped to the floor panting in exhaustion.

"D...Did you have to run all the way!?" One of them asked, out of breath and slightly annoyed at being forced to run half the length of the town.

Apparently unfazed by his friends complaint Klein simply turned to the side to face him before returning a thumbs up in reply.

"Come on Dale, we're about to go on an adventure and you're complaining about a little running."

"What's that go to do with it!?" He asked, still sitting on the floor. Trying to recover from the impromptu marathon.

"Yeah he's got a point Klein, " one of them joined in. "The way you we're running I thought you'd found a cute girl to party up with."

The man, Dynamm looked to Kirito before apologizing, "Sorry, no offense or anything but normally the only thing to get Klein so enthusiastic is cute girls and short skirts."

"Ah, " Kirito said, having been giving a little information to better understand Klein's character. "None taken."

"Hey! I don't just run after cute girls, I mean sure I've never had a girlfriend but I'm not that desperate."

"You sure?" One of them asked, "See I still remember your 21st birthday."

"Yeah, yeah I remember that, " another joined in. "He couldn't even walk straight after drinking and we had to carry him home." The man showed a smile and rubbed his nose at the memory, "Still didn't matter how drunk he was. He still asked every girl we saw on the way home out."

The memory was a sore one for Klein, even if his own version of it was nothing more than a blurred haze. Though for what it was worth the memory gave his friends a good laugh as they each remembered the night. He had good friends, he knew that and if he was to be stuck in a game of death with anyone, he couldn't have asked for a better bunch.

Slightly bewildered at the lightheartedness of the group given their current situation, Kirito instead put it down to a shared defense mechanism. Everyone dealt with the unexpected in a different way and apparently this close group of friends did so at the expense of each other, though they remained friends regardless.

"Ahem." Klein coughed, causing the laughter to calm down a little. "Well as I was saying, Kirito here said he's got a few ways to help us kick start our leveling."

At Klein's statement each member turned to face Kirito, a action that resulted in him taking a small step back. He hated being the center of attention and Klein had just shined the spotlight directly on him. Sensing that perhaps Kirito wasn't one for big speeches he decided to make it swift.

"Anyway moving on, guess I should introduce everyone first."

Shuffling his way over to the first person who had arrived Klein placed a hand on their shoulder before speaking, "This here's Dale." He said. The person was slightly shorter than Klein, sitting at about shoulder height, though for what he lacked in height he made up for in his size. Allowing him to carry one of the larger starter swords and shields on offer to new players. "Hey." He said as he lifted a hand in a universal symbol of greeting.

Standing next to Dale and with a slightly mischievous smirk on his face was the player who had previously commented on Klein's love of cute girls and short skirts. "That's Dynamm" Klein interjected as he saw Kirito's gaze wonder. "Yep name's Dynamm and make sure you remember it." he said as Klein moved onto the next member.

"And this..." He said, placing both hands on either shoulder of the man in front of him. "Is Harry One."

"You don't have to lean on me everytime you know Klein." He complained. His short stature providing the perfect height for Klein to lean on, something which he apparently did a lot as the unimpressed shield user complained.

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to, it's just you're the perfect height for it." The player simply grumbled in return, something about showing someone who's short and what not before Klein moved between the last two.

"And these are..."

"Issin." One of the men responded. His hair slick back and one hand on his hip while he did a mock wave at Kirito.

"Kunimittz" Answered the other. Who unlike the rest of the group seemed to be the logical quite type as up to that point he had not spoken.

"And that's it." Klein finished. "Well now that introductions are out of the way I guess I should ask what the plan is." He asked while having a arm over the should of both Issin and Kunimittz.

Right, Klein had done his job. He'd brought them all together and now it was Kirito's turn to hold up his end of the deal, and what a deal it was going to turn out to be.

* * *

 **After about four months of on and off planning it's finally here. As you may have guessed from the top couple of lines this story is split into a number of arcs and sub arcs, so know that when I say it's going to be a long ride I mean it. I have big plans for this story which I hope I can achieve, though even if I don't. If this story can at the very least inspire others to write then I can consider it a success.**

 **Now for the important part, as I had previously mentioned much of this story has been planned out. This naturally also includes the characters, each of them now have their own personality with backgrounds as well as things they like and dislike. So if they seem somewhat out of character just keep this in mind.**

 **In addition though I have planned out much of the story I still want it to be organic in nature, so if you have any suggestions or advice feel free to let me know and maybe I'll try and incorporate it. Naturally this also goes for any criticism you have, any feedback; good or bad is much appreciated.**

 **Finally a note on the rating and pairings. To get this out of the way this story will aim to go for a Harem ending, kind of. I hope to make it feel natural, at least as natural as it can be. So hopefully you don't recognize it happening and there isn't just a sudden change to everyone is with Kirito and is fine with it. Additionally, as you should have already seen this story has a M rating. As I'm sure you can guess that means all of the story elements you would expect to be associated with it, so consider this your advanced warning.**

 **With all that said I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions, as well as what you would like to see in the future. Guess that's everything for now and be sure to keep an eye out for chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Mountain Pass

Arc: Aincrad

 **The Power of Three II**

* * *

With the light of day fading fast the group gathered at the beginning to the mountain pass. Tall walls of chalk rock sat either side of their vision as a narrow passage carved its way through the center, winding left and right; obscuring the view of anyone standing at the entrance. Preventing them from deducing its full length. All in all it gave a rather foreboding feeling to the inexperienced and could in and of itself be considered a form of boss for the unprepared. Thankfully Kirito, Klein and the rest of the group had made preparations ahead of their planned expedition, preparations which had resulted in them taking no less than two hours to gear up and practice before finally gathering at the entrance.

Like he had seen on the players heading out before them Kirito made sure that a couple of the members were equipped with maces. He had guessed that with such a sizable group at least one or two of them may have chosen the mace as their starter weapon, though to his demise this was not the case. As a result it meant that after talking it over with the group both Dale and Dyanmm said they would switch out their weapons for maces, if only for the journey through the mountain pass to give them the edge.

"Just remember what I told you and we'll be fine." Kirito reiterated to the group as he turned to face them. "It's a lot more narrow in there than you'd expect, so make sure to keep the position of the walls in mind."

Nodding in acknowledgement of his advice the group made their way into the pass and were quickly engulfed in the steep mountains that made up the east side of the first floor. For the first 30 minutes the trip was mostly uneventful, the majority of mobs spawned further in and as such the only real danger the group had to deal with was the holes and crevices that were sometimes in the floor below. Eventually thought the group came across their first encounter, a feral mountain goat as Kirito had previously mentioned. Though unlike the ones from the beta they had been changed a great deal, something which he wouldn't find out until it was too late.

"There see, " he said as he pointed at the lone goat in front of him. "Their quiet solitary so chances are his the only one in the area." Doing a quick search of the area Klein nodded in agreement of Kirito's statement before he continued. "Their main attack is the same as the boar, they just put their head down and charge at you. It's a pretty simple attack pattern but just keep in mind we don't have as much space as we did on the field."

"Right." Klein nodded. "Dale, Dyanmm. You're up."

Being the players best equipped for the job both Dale and Dyanmm couldn't hide the smile on their faces as they moved to the front of the group. Their first real chance at combat in the game.

"Just remember what I showed you and you'll be fine. And don't be afraid to retreat if you can't handle it. I'd rather we just slow our progress a bit if we have to, if the alternative is we lose one of you." Kirito explained, thought despite how sincere he was trying to be it may have come across as somewhat patronising.

"Aww, so you do care about lil' old us Kirito, " Dyanmm mocked. "Don't you worry, if the big bad goat is too much for us I'll be sure to let ya know."

"I was jus-" Kirito tried to refute, though the snickering from the rest of the group stopped him. He may have only just taught them about sword skills and how to use them, but maybe he was being a bit too untrusting of their own skills. Regardless of how much you practiced of what you were taught the best way to learn was always to experience it for real, and fighting this goat would serve as the perfect opportunity.

The goat itself was lingering around a corner a outcrop of stone blocking it from the view of the others in the party. Keeping in mind what they had been told both Dyanmm and Dale made their way around the corner and were met with the sight of the goat as they had expected. To make sure that they would be able to deal with enemies on their own Dale had also picked up a shield which he could use to keep the attention of their enemy while Dyanmm attack from the side. A tactic that they quickly employed as Dale moved ahead of his partner and landed a light strike on the goat with his mace while it faced away from them.

Surprised at the sudden attack the goat released a cry before jumping in fright and facing it's aggressor. With its attention now firmly rooted on Dale, or rather on the large tower shield that he was holding. Dyanmm took the opportunity to move around the edge of the two of them, making sure to keep his movements slow as to not draw the mobs attention. Thankfully he was able to make it to the rear without it noticing, a result of it still trying to attack Dale by repeatedly charging at his shield. With all the required elements in place they waited on the goat to make its next move. Which it did as it once again moved back in preparation to charge at the player in front of it, lowering its head and presenting its horns before breaking into a sprint and running at the large shield.

Thanks to the size of his shield it was easy for Dale to defend against such a simple attack. But more so than that it meant that it was also easy for him to stagger his opponent, as he just needed to activate a shield skill at the right time. And the right time it was, as just before the goat was able to land yet another hit Dale activated the skill **«** Shield Bash **»**. The result was just as they had planned as the goat was sent flying backwards from being hit with the full weight of the shield and the accompanying skill. Not missing his cue Dyanmm jumped into the fray, raising his mace high above his head before releasing his own skill, **«** Crushing Blow **»** and landing a direct hit on the goat who had landed on the rocky floor below.

While **«** Shield Bash **»** had the primary role of staggering an opponent it still dealt a small amount of damage, which combined with Dyanmm's own attack meant that the goat could be killed in a single strike. Seconds later the mob released a final cry - as if to indicate its own defeat - before exploding into a shower of sparkling polygons. Not long after the last remnants of the goat disintegrated into nothingness both players were greeted with the victory screen, detailing their spoils.

"Nice work!" Klein exclaimed as the rest of their group rounded the corner, a pleased expression and satisfied smile plastered across his face.

"Ha ha." The ever energetic Dyanmm laughed in response. "It's all thanks to your friend there." He continued as he walked back to the rest of the group, the weapon that had given him his win resting upon his shoulder. They had managed to grab their first victory, even if was a small one and it was a fact that no one in the group wanted to down play.

To Kirito their reactions seemed confusing, to him it felt like such a minor victory that it didn't matter. It was just one mob, in one small area, in one small corner of the first floor, in one giant floating castle. They would no doubt have countless more victories in the future and ones which would be against greater and greater enemies. The idea that this victory was something to be celebrated seemed almost ludicrous. But despite having such a sentiment, the view in front of him proved otherwise as Klein and his friends were celebrating the first mob that two of their party members had successfully taken down. Cheering and celebration had replaced the apprehension that each member had previously felt, and being surrounded by such a atmosphere naturally lead to a small smile creeping its way onto Kirito's face. Even if he didn't share the same feelings, he could at least share the same sense of victory with them.

Still engulfed in their small celebration the rest of the group had unfortunately become distracted from their surroundings, as evidenced when Kirito spun his head around and focused his attention on the direction they had entered from. He couldn't explain why but for some reason he just felt as though something was there, as if something was coming towards them. Sure enough moments later his feelings were proved to be correct as a faint rumble could be heard in the distances, it was still some ways off and almost inaudible above the cheering of the rest of his group. Confused as to what it could have been he closed his eyes and listened, hoping that he would be able to distinguish it from many of the game sounds he already knew. Unfortunately this wasn't the beta and he didn't have the same level of detection skill he had grown so fond of, the result being that the group merely began questioning his actions as they looked over to see why he was not joining in on their celebration and were met with the sight of Kirito standing there with his eyes shut tight.

"Hey, you ok man?" Klein questioned.

"Shh" He motioned in return. "Can't you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Klein questioned as he turned to the rest of his group in search of answers, each of which shrugged their shoulders, oblivious to the supposed sound that Kirito was hearing.

Was he going crazy? Perhaps the game was playing tricks on him, making him think there was something in the distance when in reality it was just ambient noise. Putting it up to being just that, he concluded that he was indeed hearing things. Turning back to the rest of the group he also shrugged his shoulders in response before continuing and offering up an explanation.

"Guess I'm losing it." The admittance coaxed a laugh from the rest of the group before he once again spoke. "Anyway we've been here long enough we should probably get moving."

Nodding in agreement the group once again returned to moving through the small corridor like pathway that was their route through the mountains. Like the first feral goat they had come across all subsequent encounters played out largely the same, though not wanting to be left out some members of the group also took on mobs in areas that were more open and allowed for group combat. Having just defeated another set of mobs the group were looking at their stats and taking inventory when the game provided an unexpected popup.

[ _ **The hoard event has started**_ ]

The message caused confusion and bewilderment among Klein and his friends.

"Hey Kirito, what's this about?" He questioned at the behest of the rest of his group, a confusion that was apparently shared by the man himself.

"I don't know, most events are meant to take place on hunting grounds. There shouldn't be anything happening in this area, and there wasn't anything here in the be-" Just as he was about to finish he was interrupted by the same sound as before, only this time it was much louder and seemed much closer than before. Looking towards the source of the noise showed a significantly sized dust cloud and contained within was some 20 plus feral goats, similar to those they had been fighting before; only this time they were much larger in size and looked to be a lot more agile if their increased speed was anything to go on. Apparently the developers had decided that the journey east through the mountains wasn't hard enough in the beta with just its cramped combat space and had thus decided that it needed some spicing up. With said spicing up coming in the form of a large herd of goats that were swiftly making their way through the mountain pass and charging towards them.

"Well shit." Kirito spoke out. A sentiment shared by the rest of the group as each of them stared at what was sure to be their impending doom. Whipping around to face the rest of the group Kirito spoke quickly, "Run." It was simple and to the point.

And so, they ran. Ran like their lives depended on it. What should have been an easy and simplistic journey had quickly become anything but. Starting as a slow jog and quickly breaking into a sprint each member of the group weaved their way around the rocky outcroppings, while whipping past any mobs they came across. If they were quick enough they could make it out of their roaming range and not have to deal with them, the large group following them was quite enough already.

"Just keep going!" Klein shouted from the rear of the group.

"There should be a drop and then a cave on the left wall, if we can make it there we can get away from the event!" Kirito added, slightly out of breath from the sudden need to break into a sprint. They wouldn't be able to outrun the event, they were just too quick thanks in no small part to being on four legs. So their best bet was to take shelter in the small cave and hope that they passed them by.

With a plan in mind they kept going, knowing that the event spawned mob of enemies was drawing ever closer. They had taken on a couple of the goats before, but a group as large as 20 wouldn't end well. Especially with the tight structure of the mountains. So, they continued to run. Kicking up dust and creating a chorus of ragged breathing as they went, all the while trying their best to not get caught by any other of the other mobs that had been strategically placed around every twist and turn.

"It's just down there!" Kirito shouted as he directed the group's attention to the small drop off in front of them. Not wasting another moment of their time each member of the group slid down the drop as soon as they reached it and in doing so brought the cave into view. One by one the group filed into what could be described as little more than a hole in the wall than a cave, all in the hopes that it would allow the event to pass them by. The cave, or rather ' _hole in the wall'_ as some of them would have called it only went about four meters back; but thanks to its unique shape and small entrance it meant that the occupants were not visible from the outside. To add to this the cave itself was dark, with the only source of light being the entrance that in and of itself only provided a limited amount of illumination.

It was eerily quiet inside, even with so many people packed into a tight space there was no one talking or complaining. Whether it was because of said tightness or the fact that they were stuck in such a dimly lit room there was a certain amount of tension in the air. For the first time since they had set off from the town of beginnings each of them was feeling the reality of their situation. They had easily been able to take down the previous mobs, groups of 2 or 3 were nothing more than they could handle; but to have an entire horde of them was too naturally mean that there only option was to runaway from them in retreat, an option that wasn't in fact possible. Their decision to go through the mountains to the east rather than explore the plains of the north or west like most players was meant to give them a head start, a chance to cement themselves at the forefront of progress in the game.

But was that chance worth it if they were likely to be killed off before they even got the chance? As if the air wasn't tense enough the rumbling that could be heard outside began to reach its peak, a clear indication that the herd of goats that had been following them was outside. With luck they would go past and ignore the group of players. They didn't have any stealth skills to speak of but the fact that there was no line of sight would hopefully mean that they wouldn't find them. A fact that no one wished was true more so than Kirito. In fact he wasn't even sure if the cave would provide the safe haven they were looking for, he had seen it during the beta but no such event had taken place during that time and as such he hadn't tested his theory.

Still tense at the gravity of their situation Klein looked towards Kirito, barely making his silhouette out in the dark confines of their hideaway.

"You sure this'll work?" He asked, little more than a whisper in the silence of the cave and his previous optimism vacant.

"Y-yeah, " Kirito whimpered out in reply. "Most mobs in SAO follow the same rules as other games, so as long as they don't have direct line of sight on us we should be fine."

Klein nodded. He may not have been convinced but it was the best they could hope for considering their current situation. A situation which took a turn when the sound that they had been hearing outside suddenly decided to cease, an action which caused a wave of relief to fall over the group. Wherever the hoard that had been chasing them had gone it was far enough away that they could no longer hear them. With luck they may have despawned or exited the pass on the other side. In either case they would be able to deal with them if they had done, the open space giving them ample room to more effectively fight as a cohesive group.

Deciding that they had waited long enough and that they couldn't handle the tension of being trapped in such a small space any longer Harry One, who had worked his way to the front elected to take a look outside.

"Right that's it, I'm done hiding." He told the rest of the group, before all but storming out of the cave. As the youngest of the group he was sometimes considered immature and somewhat impulsive, but each member was good friends with him despite his childlike nature. Even if he had become the butt of many of their jokes.

Sliding his way through the small entrance to the cave he emerged back into the bright light of day. The white walls of the mountains helping to cast a bright light on the area, despite how enclosed it was. Looking down the direction in which they had been heading he noted how it looked completely empty, its design allowing him to see the end of the path; a stark contrast to the road they had been travelling before.

"Hey guys it's fine, I can't see any-"

"Gaaahhhh!" The Screech like sound reverberated on the walls of the cavern, cutting through each and every player that could hear it.

The next moment was but a blur as not 10, not 20 but what must have been close to 50 feral goats that made up the horde that had been following them jumped down onto Harry One; catching him completely off guard and out of position. It happened so quickly that nothing could be done, the first goat to attack rammed into him from it's superior position atop the drop they had previously slid down, knocking him to the floor. After that the result was inevitable, they piled onto him as if he were a prized hunt being brought back to feed a set of hungry cubs. His sword waved about in wild abandon, a futile attempt to clear the multitude of mobs that had jumped atop him but alas it was all in vain as he was unable to even release a single sword skill. Being able to only scream in horror as the goats ravished him, eating away at his precious little HP like a set of hungry wolves.

Naturally after hearing the screech given off by the first goat the members of Klein's group rushed to exit the cave. Even if they had no chance of beating their enemy they couldn't leave one of their own behind, they had to at least try; no matter how fruitless it seemed. Being the only one with a shield Dale charged in first, making use of both his and its immense size to push as many of the mobs off Harry as he could. Even with the activation of his one shield skill, **«** Shield Bash **»** the number of enemies that he could clear off was limited. Following his lead the rest of the members added their assistance. With Dale holding the front alongside Dyanmm who had an all important mace equipped. The rest of the group quickly dispatched any mobs that had fallen behind the two, leaving just Harry One on the floor; a trance like state consuming him as he tried to come to terms with the situation. Distraught at the position that he had inadvertently got his friend into Klein fumbled with the menus, trying desperately to procure one of the many health potions that he had bought before leaving town. Seeing that he was in no mind to do such a thing Kirito swiftly opened his own menu before handing a health potion to Harry, who was still in a somewhat dazed state.

"You guys make a run for the exit." He instructed, moving towards the group of feral goats that had began to build up in front of Dale and Dynamm.

"But-" Klein tried to interject, but was cut off by both of his front liners interrupting him. "Just go, you need to get Harry out of here," they insisted. "Once you guys have made it we'll catch up."

"If you're-" He once again tried to start, but was pushed away by Dynamm who had been momentarily replaced by Kirito. "Now!" He shouted, his face a look of seriousness that was unbefitting of his personality and one that Klein could not say he recognized on his friend.

Thankfully this out of character expression helped to get the message across to Klein. It wasn't that he was abandoning any of his friends, in fact it was the complete opposite. By falling back now he would be able to save the most vulnerable member of his team, an act that was something he would need to follow whether he liked it or not. He was the team leader to all of them and as such he had to play the part, even if it came with making such decisions. Something he was acutely aware of and thought he was prepared for, even if he wasn't expecting it to happen so soon.

The mobs were fierce, much more so than the regular ones they had been taking on. They repeatedly charged against Dale's shield, the sound of their horns clanging against the cold metal and serving to add to the reality of the situation. While he was able to keep them back, thanks to their relentless assault he was unable to retaliate; instead being able to do nothing more but continue defending. By contrast Kirito was the complete opposite, making use of swords skills such as **«** Vorporal Strike **»** and **«** Lunging Attack **»** both of which had superior reach and a smaller cone of attack allowing them to be used effectively in the small confines of the mountain pass. Despite this he was still using a sword, the small surface area of which meant that it was less effective at keeping them back. Leaving Dynamm who had been pushed to the rear to deal with any stragglers who tried to make it around them.

For a time the strategy worked, even if the number they were taking down was comparatively insignificant to the total number of mobs left.

"Hey, err. Kirito." Dale begun.

"Little busy at the moment, what's up." He asked, a particularly stubborn goat trying to eat it's way through his sword as he struck at its head.

"There, uh. There's weapon durability right?"

"Ye-" Irritated at still having the mob stuck on his sword Kirito unleashed the sword skill **«** Horizontal Strike **»** , cutting his way through the mob and causing it to split in two at the head before disintegrating into polygons.

"Yeah, there-" Once again his sword clashed with one of the goats, replacing the one he had only just dispatched. He clicked his tongue in response before responding. "There- is."

"Right, well we need to do something then. If that bar's showing what I think it is then my shields about to break."

Well crap, that was all they needed. They had barely been able to hold out as it was and their one trump card was about to give out. To say that this information sent them into a short state of panic would have been an understatement. How were they meant to keep them back now? Dale had been pulling most of the aggro with his shield, but with just weapons alone would they be able to keep up the defense? Questions continued to ravage their minds, how many had they killed? How many more did they need to kill before this event ended? Had Klein and the others made it out? What if they couldn't keep them back, what then? Would they…

"Gaaahhhh!" In a similar vein to before, one of the goats released an almost ear piercing scream as they jumped; a sort of precursor to one of their own skills activating no doubt. The suddenness with which it attacked caught Kirito off guard, releasing a sweeping skill in retaliation he was able to block the attack and make the goat fall back. But in doing so he had made a fatal error. He had forgone his own advice in the process and as such had made clear contact with one of the cliff walls encompassing them. Though he had been able to fight off the feral mountain goat, the contact with the wall had taken a big chuck of durability off of his own weapon.

In addition to the dent in durability the shock of the impact also sent him flying back, opening up a hole in their defense and allowing one of the feral goat's to get a clean charge on him. Now on the floor Kirito had his foe sitting atop him, rearing itself up for another attack. He tried lifting his sword in response, attempting to stop the incoming attack. But was stopped as yet another goat attacked his arm, causing his sword to drop from his hand as he struggled to keep hold of it. Was this the end for him? Was this as far as he was going to make it? At the very least he could be happy in the knowledge that if anyone was going to die it would be him, it was his fault that they were in this situation. His eyes closed, preparing himself for his inevitable demise as the cold embrace of death was about to greet him. But safe in the knowledge that those he had put into danger would be able to escape.

"Kiritooo!" The scream came across as somewhat corny in nature. Like it was something a shounen protagonist would do as they were joining the battle, as if they needed to make sure that all of their foes knew that they had arrived. Regardless of the reasoning behind it, or how terrible it sounded when it came down to it; it was actually somewhat reassuring.

Sure enough seconds after the shout had been given off Klein came running in, releasing the sword skill **«** Horizontal Strike **»** and killing the feral mountain goat atop his friend. It was the first skill that Kirito had taught him, so it seemed fitting that it would be the skill used to rescue him.

Having got Harry to the safety of the town that sat just beyond the exit of the mountain path Klein and the rest of his group came sprinting back.

With the aid of the other members they were able to keep the hoard back while also edging slowly towards the exit. By continuing to rotate who manned the front they were able to keep their weapons durabilities in check and make it out of the pathway. Whether it was something pre-programmed or that some divine being had decided that they had been toyed with enough, none of them were sure. Regardless of the reason behind it, they were blessed with a respite when after making it out the narrow path the hoard that had been following them stopped. As if there were some sort of invisible barrier preventing them from continuing.

The rest of the day became a monotonous blur. Each member feeling the effects of the days events and not having the drive to continue like they once had. Thankfully for them like most towns in Aincrad the one they had arrived at also possessed an Inn within which they could rest, and recuperate from the days events. And hell did they need it. Truthfully each of them had been so caught up in being in an entirely new world and wanting to explore everything that it had to offer, going so far as to almost forget the situation that they had found themselves in. The small victories and enjoyment that they had been feeling from exploring what the mountains had to offer clouding their own reality.

A reality that hit one player harder than most. It was his overconfidence that had put Klein and his friends in this situation in the first place, it was his decision to take them through the east gate rather than the safer west and north options. A decision that he would need to live with the repercussions of. It had almost gotten one of Klein's party killed, all because he was convinced that his own knowledge of the game was set in stone.

That night each of the players entered the inn, splitting off to their own rooms. Words weren't exchanged, they didn't need to be. The air around them was heavy enough with the weight of the incident, the one who had caused it, the one who had enabled it and the one who was at the center of it. It would undoubtedly continue to have an impact on their relationship in the future, shaping it as they worked their way through Aincrad. Though if only for tonight no one would mention it, hoping that instead the coming of a new day would shed some clarity on how each of them should act.

* * *

 **Well there's chapter 2 done, it should give you an idea of the sort of changes I've made to some of the characters as well as where I'm going with this early arc.**

 **As a quick note while every effort has been made to remove typos and mistakes it should be noted that I did most of the proofreading after watching the last episode of** _ **Iroduku: The World in Colors**_ **and as such can't see much of anything past the tears. Please forgive me.**

 **Also I wanted to give a quick shoutout to the story "Down the Dragon's Nest" by ObscureAuthorBrendan which as of the latest chapter I'm now the beta for. I'd suggest you all go check it out if you haven't already, especially if you're a Kirito x Lisbeth shipper;** **It's a great read and we really don't get enough stories about Lisbeth so it's a rare gem.**

 **With that said I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I was really happy to read the reviews I got and will keep your suggestions in mind, also thanks to the guest who pointed out many of the different events that take place; I have plans for most of them but you'll have to wait and see. As well as this I also had a couple of people ask who exactly is going to be in the Harem, to be honest I have a few in mind but was reminded about just how many candidates there are. In light of this I'm still trying to decide who's going to be in and will try and get a completed list together for the next chapter, though you can assume that most of the fan favorites will be in there.**

 **But despite that just a quick heads up, you should probably make sure to bring a life jacket for the next chapter just in case. I'm probably going to be nuking a couple of ships so be ready.**

 **That about wraps everything up, thanks again to everyone who followed, favorited, reviewed and read the first chapter, I'll see you in the next one and hope you all have a great New Years!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Great Forest

Arc: Aincrad

 **The Power of Three III**

* * *

Seven days, for seven long days more than 10,000 players had been trapped in the virtual world known as Aincrad; the iron castle floating in the sky. Following the initial shock of Kayaba's message many of the players filtered their way out of the starting city, rushing to grab any and all advantage they could by gaining as much experience and Col as possible. Despite this being the ideal course of action that players were meant to take, based of the principle design of the game; there was also a significant number who couldn't bring themselves to do it. To face the fear of death and go out into and in essence take on the world that they were now stuck in. Instead opting to hole up in whatever Inn would offer them a room, using up what precious little money the game started them off with.

Though it had already been a week there was still no semblance of order among the players. While most had begun to fall into a rhythm of mob hunting, quest completion and regularly selling and buying their wares in town; there still wasn't anyone organising them. Taking on the boss and advancing to the second floor seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream at this point, as if it were some sort of impossible mountain that they were doomed to never overcome.

Not even 24 hours after being given Kayaba's ultimatum players were delivered the first of what was likely to be many unexpected obstacles in their quest to complete the game. Players, no matter where they were; be that within the safety of town or hunting out in the fields were dropping to the floor and losing consciousness. As if someone had flipped the off switch and they had done just that, turned off. To say that this caused some measure of panic among those of the player base who were still active would have been a gross understatement. It was difficult enough coming to terms with the fact that they had all been put into this fight for their lives, against their own will. But to now have people dropping left, right and center for no clear reason resulted in an almost complete shutdown of the game's progress.

It wasn't that players believed there was some sort of curse making its way through Aincrad, perhaps a status effect inflicted by one of the mobs that went unnoticed. No that wasn't it. But that didn't stop people from speculating. _They never wanted us to finish the game, this was all just a experiment for some science company. Their putting you to sleep so they can alter your memories without you knowing._ Such ideas quickly became a dime a dozen among the player base, ranging from the most mundane; _too many people made it in and they want to reduce our numbers_. To the most extreme, _their doing it so they can pick us off one by one in our sleep._ All manner of ideas and theories were given and soon enough many started to believe them. Even if none of them were backed by sort of evidence or facts, the simplicity with which people could latch onto one of them as the excuse meant that many did. It was a way for them to explain the unknown, and like most people they took hold of the first explanation they came across; it was the same in the real world, though usually less pronounced.

Though the truth was even if they didn't know the cause players quickly learnt that everyone went through it at some point and it would be their turn soon enough. In light of this they did what they could to prepare, Inn's were fully booked almost immediately leaving no form of refuge for players who had taken too long to make their way back and as a result player's took to lining the streets, picking the best spot they could to prepare for their inevitable _shutdown_. Even if you couldn't get a room, the fact that you were within the limits of a town would at least mean that they were under the protection of the anti-harassment system; so no player would be able to do anything to them while they were in such a state.

It wouldn't be until the next day when the majority of the player base had experienced the phenomenon that they began to put two and two together. It was something that all the players apparently went through and it never lasted more than two hours. This consistency alone gave them their answer, after all their bodies were sitting motionless in the real world and were likely to not move again for the foreseeable future. It made sense that they would need to be taken somewhere that they could be taken care of, the two hours where players were _asleep_ must have been the grace period given to allow such a transfer to take place.

Despite this discovery it did little to quell the panic running rampant throughout the player base. In reality it simply served as a reminder of their situation, the fact that they weren't in their real bodies and that they were essentially in a comatose state in the real world. Given such a firm reminder of where they were this incident would later be known as the great purge, though one particular set of players wouldn't find this out until returning to where it had all began; and experiencing the results of it first hand.

* * *

Known as the ' _Forest that never ends'_ by players thanks to its immense size, afforded to it by its placement on the first floor. The dungeon was so large that it contained a number of different sub areas that in and of themselves could have been considered individual dungeons. From densely packed trees creating winding and indistinguishable paths, to open fields with greenery enclosing all sides and even small water sections resembling swamp like arrangements. In short there was no shortage of diversity in the types of areas that players could end up in when taking on the Forest, and as such it wasn't uncommon for players to never run into one another. Despite the number of people that often used it as their primary hunting area it was rare to find another player in the vast space, though that wasn't to say it didn't happen; and today would be one such day.

It was early morning. The light of day just now beginning to make its way from below the virtual horizon, the dew of the early winter morning still sitting atop the grass and giving it a slightly frozen sheen. He wasn't normally one for getting up so early, even back in the real world he would quite happily lay in until midday unless he had some form of prior engagement. Though naturally that had all changed when he had become trapped in Kayaba's game of death. He now had a reason for getting up in the mornings, if he wanted to keep the promise he had made with himself of getting back to the real world then he needed levels, money and experience.

To this end he had spent the past week clearing out the quests located in the town that he was calling home base. As he had expected the town was indeed a good source of experience like he had previously thought. While the number of quests wasn't numerous, they were simple enough to complete; consisting mainly of kill and collect quests. Though thanks to their simple nature, it meant that after just three days he had exhausted all possibilities for experience that were available in the small town and he had to search for new opportunities to gain experience.

In light of this it would have made sense to move onto a new town and complete the quests that it had on offer. The amount of col and experience that could be earned from quests compared to just fighting mobs was close to ten fold. Despite this he had his own reasons for staying in the town, this being the lack of players. Unlike many other places on the first floor the amount of people who had traveled east and to its surrounding areas was minimal. This meant that for the few who had ventured into this particular area of the first floor it was easier to hunt mobs without distraction. Something which Kirito sorely needed after the incident of the first day and the fallout that resulted from it.

Though neither Klein nor any member of his party blamed Kirito for the events that transpired, he still felt a certain amount of responsibility. To him it was clear evidence that he just wasn't cut out for a leadership role. Preferring to instead return to how he had been in the beta, keeping himself to himself and only interacting with other players under a necessity. Thankfully the situation with the east of the first floor provided the perfect place for him to achieve just this. He could go out early during the morning, picking up some supplies such as potions and food; then spend the entire day hunting in the forest. Where chances of player encounters were at a minimum, before heading back into town under the cover of darkness.

It had been difficult to get Klein off his back but after a couple of days he was running hiss little operation like a well oiled machine. Leaving just enough either way to dodge people and player alike. Unfortunately, no matter how much he would have liked to keep it going, today was the day where Klein had finally decided to throw a spanner in the works. Apparently Kirito wasn't running as much of a covert operation as he had thought he was, as evidenced when he had snuck his way past the other rooms of the Inn and rounded the corner only to come face to face with his friend, Klein.

They hadn't spoken at all after the transgression on the first day, a fact that Kirito was acutely aware of as his face fell into an expression of dismay.

"Yo." Came a optimistic voice as Klein raised his hand in greeting at the player he had been trying to meet with for the past week.

The simplicity with which he had drummed up a greeting caused Kirito's mind to go into overdrive. He hadn't been planning to meet Klein again and even if he was, he hadn't expected it to be so soon. What was he meant to say? How was he meant to act after what had happened. Should he just play if off, act as if it hadn't affected him? His internal struggle continued for a minute. Leaving Klein to stand awkwardly, waiting for an answer as his hand hovered in the air. If he had been hoping to at least get some sort of acknowledgment then this wasn't the day for it. As not being able to come up with a good way to deal with the situation before him Kirito opted for the next best thing, removing himself for the situation all together.

He weaved his way past Klein, keeping his head down and walking slightly faster than he would do normally.

"Hey!" Klein called out. "You can't just walk off like that, we need to talk." Though despite his cries the boy continued walking, ignoring him as his shouting fell on deaf ears.

Not wanting to miss this opportunity Klein continued after him, it had taken so long to finally catch his friend and he didn't know how long it would take to do so again. Though the sentiment of not wanting something was apparently also felt by said friend as Kirito kept up his pace. He would have to forgo the collection of supplies today, instead heading straight for the forest. If he was lucky he may be able to lose Klein in amongst the trees.

Soon enough Kirito found himself engulfed in the densely packed trees that made up the bulk of the dungeon called the forest. With how closely together the trees were placed they formed an almost impenetrable shield of foliage, blocking most of the light from ever reaching the forest floor. Which when paired with his investment in the sneak skill and head start allowed Kirito to easily slip away from Klein's gaze.

He had been weaving his way through the forest for about an hour, taking on the odd mob that was brazen enough to attack him. Before long he had made his way past the outer edge of the dungeon and after navigating his way past a line of thick shrubbery he exited into a wide open field. Contained within the forest itself the field was covered in bright green grass and surrounded by a ring of trees and bushes, helping to turn it into a sort of oasis within the vast confines of the greater forest. He had found the open plain a couple of days after they first moved into town and it had served as his go to hunting sport eversience. Its limited variety of mobs combined with ease of movement made it the perfect place to spend the day without having to think up any sort of advanced strategies.

Not wanting to waste anymore time than he already had Kirito pulled the sword resting on his back from its scabbard before moving towards the closest mob he could see.

The raggard stag as it was called was a type of mob that was both rich and bountiful in number, making up the majority of the mobs that spawned in the plain. As the name suggested the mob looked to be an exact copy of a stag, like any that could be found in the real world. But in keeping with its name it followed a more aggressive stance and attack pattern, charging at any player it could see in a similar fashion to many of the other animalistic mobs located on the first floor. A pattern which also allowed them to be dealt with in the same way.

The stag charged, it's head down hoping to impale Kirito on its antlers as it kicked up the dirt below it's hooves and picking up speed. An attack which Kirito was only too happy to respond to in kind, specifically with the use of one of his favorite sword skills, **«** Horizontal Strike **»**. It was an action that he had performed numerous times and as such he waited until the last moment to step to the side, before running his sword along the side of the stag and cutting a clean line across it. It reeled from the attack, releasing a screech of pain as it stomped it's legs down in an attempt to halt its moment after the failed assault.

Looking down at the sword in his hand Kirito couldn't help but form a small grin. The last attack had almost hit him, he was very close to becoming a ornament atop the stags antlers. The realism with which he could feel the wind on his face as he rushed past the stag, the heat within his body from having to move fast enough to dodge the previous attack. It was a unique feeling that could only be achieved with the use of full dive technology. Unfortunately his admiration of the game and the technology behind it was cut short when the mob once again released a cry as it came sprinting towards him. Not having time to ready and release a sword skill he did the only thing he could, pulling his sword up diagonally to block the incoming attack. The sword hit with a heavy clang as it came into contact with the antlers of Kirito's aggressor, pushing him back slightly as he tried to withstand the power and weight of the mob's body.

Not wanting to lose in a power struggle to a mob on the first floor he reaffirmed his grip, tightening his hold on the hilt of his weapon and digging his feet into the soft ground below. As if sensing his plan the stag pushed, trying desperately to land the hit if felt it had been robbed of. Alas it was all for naught as in doing so he had given Kirito the advantage he needed. Using the length of his sword he stepped to the side, running the stags antlers along it and allowing him to land another direct hit. The plan was a success, the stag's own power and body weight proving to be an advantage for Kirito as he out maneuvered it.

The creature released one last death cry before shattering into nothing more than a collection of polygons.

The stag turned out to be the first of many, as by doing nothing more than walking across the wide open plain Kirito would be attacked time and time again. Each time proving easier than the last as he gradually got into the swing of things. In contrast to the numerous number of stags that attacked him the rest of the field was barren by comparison, devoid of almost any players and dotted with sporadic amounts of scenery. Though at the corner of his vision there were two players, the only others besides him it seemed that had found their way into the great forest's oasis of sorts. Clashing with another stag his gaze began to wonder, settling on the two players in question.

By the looks of it at least one of the players was a girl, despite having short brown hair indistinguishable from a boys the fact that she was wearing a skirt was a bit of a giveaway. As if trying to offset the feminine nature of the first player the second one wore nothing more than a hooded red cloak, an obvious attempt to hide everything about themselves in one go. Thanks to said cloak and that he was so far away from them that he couldn't hear what they were saying, allowed them to conceal their gender; Though judging by the fact that they had partied up with a girl, he assumed they were also one. But if that were the case then why wear the cloak? He guessed it was a way of hiding who she was, beyond just her gender; but this far out the chances of another player seeing them was minimal at best and having to fight with the added weight of a cloak would only hinder them further.

Getting distracted during a fight was one of the biggest sins you could commit, a fact that Kirito was quickly reminded of as the stag that had been pressed up against his sword pushed harder, catching him off guard.

"Shit!" He cried out as he was pushed back, his right leg buckling as he tried to regain the upper hand. An attempt that was met with a ferocity he had yet to feel from the other mobs in the area, resulting in his sword being knocked from his hand as the stag swung upwards with its head. Its antlers catching the blade as it did so. With his weapon now lying to the side and his enemy readying for another attack Kirito was left defenseless. He had broken one of the golden rules of this world and now he was going to pay the price for it.

"Yah!" The scream was distinctive, the same one that he had heard at the start of the week and it was swiftly followed by a well known _slicing_ sound as a sword came down on the stag's head. Effectively cleaving it from its body and resulting in a critical hit that killed it in one.

"The hell you doing spacing out man? Do you enjoy being speared in the chest?"

To the players questioning Kirito simply huffed in annoyance as he crawled over to collect his sword before getting up. "I had it under control, I just got distracted for a second."

The player simply shook their head in disbelief, first he had run off and now he'd almost died because he was too busy ogling other players.

Returning the sword to its scabbard upon his back, now much lower in durability. Kirito sighed once more before turning towards the player who had come to his aid.

"Sorry." He began. "I shouldn't have had a go at you like that, it's my own fault for getting into that situation." He continued before turning to face the player, Klein. As he finished his apology. "Thanks for the help, I'm not sure what would have happened if I was on my own."

"Damn strait you don't know what would have happened, you could have died without backup." He exclaimed, pushing a finger into Kirito's shoulder to help punctuate his point. "And don't you forget it!"

Having dispatched the enemy Klein returned his own sword to its scabbard before taking a look around the area he had stumbled into. Having been chasing after Kirito, ducking and diving his way through the forest he had been fortunate enough to all but fall into the clearing when he did. Only having a matter of moments to react to his friends impending demise. By the looks of it the only players present were himself and Kirito along with a group of two in the distance. Were they what had distracted him before? Looking at it not many people came to this place, with perhaps even fewer knowing about it.

"Now, what the hell is this place? I guess this is where you've been running off to." Klein questioned as he continued taking in the view of the surrounding area.

Looking down at the ground as if in defeat Kirito spoke, little more than a whisper. "Y-yeah, I found it a couple of days ago and..."

"Figured it was the perfect place to hide?" Klein finished.

The question was sharp, but undeniably fair. Had Kirito really been using this place as a form of escape? He hadn't meant to run away from the incident. But at the same time he just couldn't bring himself to face Klein and his group. He looked up once again, his gaze landing on his friend for perhaps the first time since he had arrived. He had expected to see an expression of annoyance, disgruntled at the fact that he had kept running away from him. Instead he saw an expression of, worry? As if he were concerned for Kirito's own well being. The sight gave him pause, a moment of reflection on his past actions and how he had perhaps not been acting with the best of intentions.

"I- " He began, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding that had formed a rift between the two of them over the past week. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have agreed to help you guys to start with. I don't know what I think I know about the game and I certainly don't have what it takes to lead a group."

Klein looked at the boy, listening to his response as he tried to keep his own emotions in check. Wanting to tell him that it wasn't his fault, it was his decision that him and his friends would go with him and as such he was the one responsible for what had happened. "Kirito you don't-" He tried to argue, but was stopped when the boy raised a hand in protest; clearly having more to say.

"No, I do. I need to apologise to you and to your friends. I shouldn't have said I could take you all with me, I shouldn't have been so self confident in knowledge and abilities. But because I was I nearly got one of you killed." The memory was still just as vivid and impactful as it was at the start of the week, hurting just as much; though he could do nothing more than clench his fists in anger as he continued his speech.

"I was in the beta. I knew the risks of that mountain pass before going into it but I said we should keep going regardless." His words stuttered for a moment as he tried to collect his thoughts. "It's my fault that we got into that situation and my fault that we..."

Klein's hand hit him like a bullet train, his head shooting to the side as he felt the full force of the blow that had just been delivered to him.

"Don't you- Don't you ever think that!" Klein shouted out, his face lit up in anger and his first clenching as if preparing to deliver another punch. "You think it would have been different? You think we wouldn't have run into a similar situation if you weren't there?"

Shocked at the questions from Klein and still reeling from the blow Kirito could do nothing more than stare at the man, his expression showing what he believed to be the truth without speaking a word. An answer that apparently wasn't to Klein's liking as he grabbed the collar of his shirt before pulling him closer.

"We would have died if you weren't there and don't think for even a second that it was you that put us in that situation. I was the one who decided I wanted your help and I was the one who brought all those extra players!"

Despite his attempts at keeping calm he just couldn't, the anger he felt at Kirito for thinking he was the one at fault surfacing. "You think cause you were in the beta that you have a responsibility to help us? To keep us safe?" It was a rhetorical question but he paused regardless, as if waiting for an answer. "You don't owe us or any other player anything, we're all in this situation together and drawing lines between us isn't going to solve the problem."

By this point the boiling anger that he once felt was beginning to dissipate, replaced by a feeling of failure. Failure at how he had made his new friend feel as though he was the one at fault. "If we want to make it out of here alive then we need to work together," he spoke, his grip on Kirito's shirt loosening slightly. "not split each other apart." His head hung low, as if the very weight of his own words were pulling it down.

A minute past, then two and neither of them spoke. Neither wanting to be the one to break the silence and confront the others points. Eventually though one of them did. He had been so concrete in his view and Klein's words had given him much to think about. Was he really not at fault like Klein had said? It was his suggestion to go east rather than to the north or west but the chances that they were going to get themselves into trouble despite him being there were a definite possibility.

Eventually he came to his own conclusion, even if he personally felt that he was wholly responsible for what had transpired, that didn't mean it had to affect Klein. Reaching up to grab hold of one of the arms that was still holding tightly onto the scruff of his shirt Kirito pulled on it lightly, not enough to move it; but enough to get the owners attention.

"Sorry," he began, in the only way he could. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and I shouldn't have put all of the blame onto myself." His voice was quiet and barely audible, as if he still wasn't certain in what he was saying. Though despite his grievances his words seemed to do the trick as Klein looked at the person in front of him. Trying to discern if the boy truly believed what he was saying and that he had actually thought about what he had done.

"Aaaah!"

The scream was loud and high pitched, both fear and surprise evident within it. Instantly Klein and Kirito began looking around, searching for who or what would release a scream in such a remote area of the map. Naturally their first thought was that a mob had snuck its way up to them and this scream was its way of announcing its arrival. Though a quick glance around their immediate area put this theory to bed. Instead the two of them turned their attention to the only other place that said scream could have come from, namely the two players that they had seen earlier.

The sight sent them into a fevered panic before causing the two of them to break off sprinting. When Kirito had gazed upon them before they looked to be handling the odd enemy just fine, working together to subdue and subsequently defeat it. Though for whatever reason this was no longer the case, as looking at the two players now you would be greeted with the sight of the capped player lying on the floor and the shield user defending against two stags as they tried to attack her helpless friend.

Not missing a beat Kirito jumped into the fray, his sword coming into contact with the lead stags antlers as it charged towards the helpless player. The action caused the girl a wave of unexpected relief. She didn't think that many players were out here and even if there was, chances are they wouldn't be willing to help a stranger. With the first stag that was biting at her mace taken care of she turned her attention towards the stag pushing against her shield, though the sudden change in priorities left her stance lacking; something that it capitalized on as it pushed harder against her and caused one of her legs to buckle.

Falling against her apparent saviour the players shield flew to the side as her arms waved about in pandemonium. This naturally left her open to attack, the first of her enemies may have been taken care of by the player leaning against her; but what of the second enemy? Thankfully for her, said player was currently part of a two man team and mere seconds after she had lost her defense another player came rushing in, sword in hand and war cry in the air as he brought his sword down on the foe in front of her.

"You OK?" The player leaning against her called out, his back and accompanying warmth feeling uncharacteristically comforting in such a cold and callous world.

"I..." She started, hoping to provide an answer to put the players mind at ease. Though before she could say the words she wanted to, the stress and fatigue from the previous week caught up to her.

"Sorry," she whispered out before joining her friend and dropping to the floor, losing the consciousness she had been so desperately clinging to.

Having defeated his enemy thanks in no small part to the help of said player Klein was the first to notice her fall to the ground, Kirito evidently too focused on his own fight to notice the disappearance of the weight that was previously pressing against his back.

"Hey!" He called out, "hey, you ok!?" He continued, dropping his sword to the ground as he too drooped down to the floor to inspect the fallen player. Though as unresponsive as she was there was little he could do but wait for Kirito to finish off his own enemy. Something which he was quick to do as he grew irritated at the commotion going on behind him. Pushing back against the stag he used the same trick he had previously, pulling his sword to the side and causing the stag's head to drop to the floor as it followed the line of his blade. The result was a clean opening, the perfect chance to attack at its side; one he took advantage of as he pulled his sword back along the side of his foes head. Releasing the sword skill **«** Horizontal Strike **»** as he did so.

With his final attack a success he extended his sword out towards the ground, a motion that had quickly become routine as he placed it back into position on his back. The mob in front of him exploding into polygons as he did so.

"Now then, what's up with you?" Kirito asked as he turned around to face his friend. The sight he was met with giving some measure of surprise. "Ahh." He spoke out. This was going to be quite the situation to deal with, his friend kneeling on the floor and two unconscious players; one of which was a girl in front of him. Of all the foes he had faced over the past week and even those as far back as the beta, this was likely to prove one of the most difficult.

Now then, what was the correct etiquette for dealing with unconscious players...

* * *

 **Sorry it took a bit longer this time, I had to rewrite most of the chapter and it took longer than I was expecting. Now onto the important bit, I mentioned last chapter that I would finalise the list for who was going to be in the Harem. Below are the different characters I currently have in as well as some I don't:**

 **Asuna: It's a bit of a given, it just wouldn't feel right not to have her in it.**

 **Lisbeth: She was and still is criminally underused in the Anime and Light novel so she's in.**

 **Argo: Bit of a tricky one, She's going to be in purely because she seems to be a bit of a fan favorite. But I've never written anything with her in before so just be aware that at least in the beginning she may seem a little odd, though I hope to rectify this after some practice.**

 **Sinon: Yep, but not for a while yet.**

 **Suguha: Yep, but again. Not for a while yet.**

 **Sachi: No. I just can't find a way to fit her in without it seeming like she's in the story just for the sake of the Harem. Honestly she's a very bland character and if I were to add her in I'd basically need to create her from scratch. But then why wouldn't I put that time into further developing the other characters? Because of this I don't plan to have her in the Harem, though she may at least make an appearance at some point.**

 **Philia: I have a small arc planned out for her and I wanted to try including some of the less common characters.**

 **Kizmel: I don't think I can make it work, the story itself is going to go past SAO and so it would just feel odd to still have her around. Like, oh! He just happened to save her program before the servers were deleted, I don't think it would work so she's not in. Though she does have a role in the story at least.**

 **Yuuki: Maybe, I don't have anything planned out for her yet. But you never know what the future may hold.**

 **That's about your lot, at least for now. One of the things I've been trying to do while writing this story is to keep it organic. So while I have got an overall plan drawn out and have an idea where individual parts are going, I don't know the exact content of each chapter. The idea being that it can change and evolve as people give feedback and advice. Naturally this also extends to the Harem. To be clear the list isn't set in stone and it could change, so if there's a character you think I'm missing and you think they should be added; feel free to let me know.**

 **Though keep in mind that I don't want too many, at least not to quickly. I would say I'm trying to write this in a way that seems realistic, but in real life this just doesn't happen. Though that isn't to say that it can't be grounded in reality, the hope is that the Harem is just something that happens over time and not something you can immediately see happening. Rather it's in the background and works in a way that doesn't need a spotlight to be put on it.**

 **Now, I think I've rambled on for long enough so I'll end it there. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**


	4. Chapter 4: Emotional Landmines

Arc: Aincrad

 **The Power of Three IV**

* * *

Despite the density of the main forest, the trees on the outer edge offered little shade from the harsh light of the midday sun. Not that it was needed for the two players that were aware of it, but rather it mattered for the two players who weren't.

Following the defeat of any mobs in the immediate area that may have caused them trouble Klein and Kirito were left to deal with the two unconscious players that they had rushed to the aid of. Though they had been rather gung ho about running in, they now stood above the players; glancing between each other and the people below. _What should they do?_ The two of them thought, neither one wanting to ask out loud. _Should they leave, let their fate be left to the mercy of the game?_ Glancing down again at the two players they looked peaceful, an amount of innocence on display as the female players face twitched in her sleep.

After such a display the two of them came to the same conclusion. _Leaving them would be impossible._ The fact that one of them was a girl notwithstanding.

With their decision made Kirito looked around the area, if they were going to stay with them then they would at least need to move to a more secure place. Out in the open as they was it would be difficult to play defense and moving to the forest would allow the trees to limit the number of directions they could be attacked from.

"Let's move them over there," Kirito spoke as he pointed to a fallen tree on the outskirts of the forest. Partially obscured by the dense foliage of the trees it would give them some measure of cover in the otherwise open area. "Lean them up against that tree trunk and then it'll be easier to defend against attacking mobs."

Nodding his head in agreement of Kirito's plan Klein kneeled down to pick up the female player in front of him, being careful to only take hold of places that wouldn't get him in trouble with the non-existent Aincrad police. With the player in his arms he began walking over to the place Kirito had pointed out, leaving the other player for his friend to deal with while simultaneously trying to focus his mind on things other than the girl presently asleep in his arms. _That sounded more suggestive than it should have done,_ he thought as he continued walking.

Grumbling slightly at being left with the taller of the two players Kirito turned his gaze to the person in question, still wearing their red dyed cape and facing the floor; obscuring their face from view. Kneeling down beside them the grass felt soft, giving way slightly to the sudden weight of his knee pressing against it. He reached out with his dominant hand before taking hold of the players arm and pulling it towards himself, turning them over while doing so. They were light, much lighter than he had been expecting considering their height and the cape which had given him the impression that they had a much larger build than they actually did. Rolling onto their back the players face fell into view, the hood of the cape now only serving to obscure their hair from view.

They were a girl, of that Kirito could be sure. Her face held a feminine shape, with a small mouth, cute nose and long eyelashes. While her skin was pale, almost porcelain like and a sharp contrast to head of chestnut hair the framed it. To say that she was cute would have been wrong, it was more like she held a natural beauty that was rarely seen outside of the entertainment or modeling industry. He could see now why she had chosen to go with the cape, with looks such as hers there would no doubt be countless players attempting to court her and any number of parties that would try and get her to join them.

"Hey! You coming or what?" Klein called out as he looked over his shoulder, the first of the two players still lying motionless in his arms.

The call startled him, causing him to release a breath of air that he didn't know he had been holding. Apparently he was more entranced by her looks than he had realised and had been staring at her for the past minute or so without moving. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and move his focus back onto the task at hand he slowly lowered his arms, tucking one under her knees and the other behind her back. Thankful that he had put many of his early points into his strength stat he pushed down into the ground with his foot, taking the weight of the girl in his arms and allowing him to stand.

Adjusting his stance for the added weight of the player he was now carrying he leaned her more closely against his body. It wasn't an ideal position but thanks to her height he didn't have much of a choice, _A girls body is really soft_. He thought, though he quickly shook his head again and began walking towards Klein in an attempt to forget such a thing, this situation was weird enough without him making it weirder.

"You keep staring like that an' one of em' will give you a black eye when they wake up."

Despite Klein's jest Kirito didn't look at him, instead keeping his eyes in front and looking out for any incoming mobs that may be trying to cause them trouble. That and honestly, the less he was reminded about the girl sleeping in his arms the better. He was a teenage boy in the prime of his youth afterall.

"I wasn't staring, just checking she was ok." He tried to defend. It was a weak comeback, but it was all he could muster given the circumstances.

"Uh-huh, sure you were. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

Disgruntled at his friends remarks Kirito merely released a huff, exacerbated at his friends words. Choosing to ignore the rest of Klein's jokes he continued to pick up his place and before long the two of them were at the fallen tree he had seen before. Gently placing the two players down to rest alongside it Kirito also took a seat as Klein withdrew his sword from its scabbard.

"Err, Kirito. What you doing?" He questioned as the boy shuffled around, trying to get into a comfortable sitting position against the hard wooden surface of the log.

"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm taking a seat."

"You do know there's mobs just over there right?"

"And..." He questioned before opening up his menu and beginning to fiddle with the interface before him.

"And I thought you said we should move over here so we could defend against attacks. You don't exactly look like your ready to defend against anything."

Releasing a huff of air in what was quickly becoming a routine Kirito moved his eyes away from his menu for a moment, "I said it would be easier to defend. Which it is." Once again moving his gaze back to the in-game menu he manipulated it with his fingers before a simple bread roll popped into existence before him. Closing his window and picking up the roll he proceeded to take a large bite, it was bland and tasteless; however it was still food and he it was all he had after the fiasco this morning so would suffice for now until he could make it back into town. "I never said it would be easier for _us_ to defend," he took another bite out of the roll "besides you could probably do with the practice, you should try taking some mobs on your own. You never know when you might get separated from the rest of your group."

"Yeah, but-" He tried to interject, but stopped when he saw Kirito had once again opened his in game menu and given it his undivided attention. Sighing in defeat, a solemn expression on his face Klein proceed to tighten the grip on his sword before scanning the horizon for any sign of nearby mobs. He didn't like the fact that Kirito had left all the grunt work to him and he didn't think that he would ever be in a situation where he was on his own. But then again a little practice never hurt anybody, especially in such an unforgiving world.

* * *

"Hyiah!"

The sound of shouting and the clang of a metal sword greeted Kirito as he slowly opened his eyes, the bright light of daytime beginning to dim as the once picturesque blue sky took on a orange hue. Rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up he let out a short yawn while stretching his arms above his head. There was nothing quite like a good stretch after an afternoon nap and the weather had been perfect for it.

With his mind now more functional he looked out towards the open field in front of him, searching for the source of the noise that had pulled him from his sleep. Sure enough there was Klein, resettling with the antlers of a stage who had been foolish enough to try and charge him. From his position Kirito could see he had the situation under control and couldn't help but form a small smile from it. The sight leading him to think back to that day when they had first met and how different he seemed now. Where before he could barely even activate a sword skill he was now able to lead the mobs on and strike when the perfect opportunity presented itself. Perhaps what they said was true and people learnt best under pressure. Whatever the case the sight made him happy and for the first time since that fateful day he believed that he had made the right choice in helping him and his friends out.

With Klein accounted for he moved his attention to the reason the two of them were still in the forest. Looking to his right he was startled to find that the caped player was longer sitting next to him, or rather she was; just now much further away than before. _Had she woken up at some point and then moved further long?_ Taking a better look at her he was soon given his answer as her sword could be seen resting in her hand. Before placing the two players down they had put their weapons back into their holders to prevent weapon degradation, so the fact that she was now holding her sword must have meant that she had woken up. Though for what it was worth she was also sitting with her eye's open as she stared back at him in return, he may have still been half asleep but with her staring so intently at him as she was, there wasn't exactly much debate on the matter. She was in fact, awake.

"Err..." He mumbled, his mouth wanting to strike up some form of conversation or excuse quicker than his brain could manage. "Good… morning?" Coming out as more of a question than a greeting the girl simply scowled in response, while also tightening the grip on her sword. The action caused Kirito to take a gulp of saliva, a tense feeling washing over him as he watched her movements. If possible it would be best to avoid conflict, he and Klein had moved her and her friend to sit up against the fallen tree in good faith. Though as evidenced by the girls hostile body language there was no way for her to know this. For all she knew she had been awake and fighting one minute and sitting propped up against a fallen tree with her friend and being watched by an unknown male player the next. In reality her reaction was well within the realm of normality considering her position.

Though this was true Kirito still felt an air of tenseness between them, like two warriors who were facing off before a dual and were trying to provide a mental challenge to their opponent. Thankfully for them there was another player present, one who had a habit of breaking down such tense situations.

"Hey Kirito! How much longer you gonna sleep, you keep this up and I'll… surpass… you..."

Though he had started strong, after coming closer and seeing that one of the two players was awake Klein's thoughts quickly broke down. It would seem that both Kirito and the female player who had woken up had been having some sort of staring contest, but as he got closer their gazes quickly turned from each other to himself. An action that caused Klein to jump back and release an internal cry, he felt as if he were a deer before a pride of lions and they had just decided that he would be their next meal. Looking between the two of them he tried to decided his next move, a pleading look in his eyes as his gaze met with Kirito's.

Though even if he was hoping for some sort of help, he would unfortunately not find it from his friend as he shrugged his shoulders in response. As if he were saying, _you walked into this; so you'll have to get yourself out of it_. Disgruntled at the fact that Kirito either couldn't or wouldn't lend a hand, he instead turned back towards the female player who was the cause of this situation in the first place. Having his gaze also returned by her as Kirito had done before now gave him the opportunity to get a better view of her face, young and feminine with strong hazel eyes staring back. If his thought processes weren't already at a stand still then they were now. A fact that was evidenced by the words that came out of his mouth...

"H-Hi, I'm K-Klein. I'm 22 years old, single and looking for a-..."

 _Ah, spoken like a true mad man_. Kirito thought to himself as the girl launched herself from her position against the tree, sword in hand and ready to deliver a killing blow.

"Ah!" Klein screamed out. "I didn't mean-!" He continued, trying in vain to apologise as he quickly spun around and began running out towards the field; the female player in tow. _Maybe she's had one too many players say the same thing?_ Kirito thought from his sitting position as he watched the chase unfold in front of him. Klein's screams dying down as the distance between them grew, Klein was a capable enough player and could easily take care of himself. While thinking of his friend and staring off into the distance at the two players running Kirito was suddenly pulled from his musings by a distinctly female groan. Slightly startled at the sound he looked to where it had come from and was once again met with the sight of a female player looking straight at him; _Was this a thing now?_ He thought as he stared at the player who had been desperately fighting for her and her friends life before succumbing to her own fatigue and dropping unconscious.

Having been the one to carry the taller of the two players before this was the first chance he got to have a closer look at the other one. He had been trying to keep his gaze away from her while she was sleeping, partly for his own sake as well as hers. Like he had first guessed when seeing them in the distance she was the epitome of a tomboy. Her short brown hair and rather unassuming figure both lending to the look. Having just woken up from a sleep she had not voluntarily entered the player looked around is a dazed and confused manner, unaware as to why she was in such a place. Eventually letting her gaze land on Kirito, an action that lead to an unexpected consequence.

"Heh..." It was quiet, his attempts to hide it proving only marginally successful as he let out a small snicker at the sight before him. Her confused and dazed expression was funny enough with how her mouth hung slightly open and her eyes like slits. But paired with the disheveled look of her hair and the small grunts she let out as if trying to start a conversation, but not being quite awake enough to do so all proved too much. Especially when she decided to tilt her head slightly at the sight of him, as if she had been trying to think too hard and her head was having to deal with the weight of it all.

Masking his obvious amusement Kirito was left with the sudden realization of his situation. Namely that he was now alone with a player, a female player to be exact and one that he had no idea on how to deal with.

"Uhh… Good… Morning...?" He spoke apprehensively, _cause that worked out sooo well last time._ He chastised himself internally. It had just led to a misunderstanding and ultimately tense atmosphere before, but fact was he just couldn't think of a better thing to say; And so had unintentionally fallen back to a almost automatic response. Having wiped away the sleep from her eyes and become more aware of her surroundings in the process, the female player looked toward Kirito before a scowl formed on her face. If Kirito had thought that he would be able to easily clear up any misunderstandings this time, then he was sorely mistaken.

After getting a better look at him and showing an expression of almost fiery anger the girl reeled back, as if trying to escape from a sword swing.

"Who are you?" She questioned, the anger on her face evident in her voice as it took on a deeper almost aggressive tone.

For a moment the girls words stumped him, _has she forgotten what happened?_ He thought to himself, if it weren't for his and Klein's aid there was no telling what would have happened to her and her friend. Despite giving the girl a confused look in hopes that it would make her less hostile her expression didn't budge. From the way she had reeled back and the almost defensive sitting position she had taken up it was likely that any attempt at explaining himself through words would have resulted in him quickly being shouted down. Faced with such a dilemma he instead opted to take a simpler approach and point out towards the horizon, where her friend's silhouette could still be seen chasing Klein as he continued running. For a moment the girl looked back to Kirito again, a slightly less angry but nevertheless confused expression on her face before she once again stared at where he had been pointing, Klein now sprinting towards the two of them with the other player still in tow. _Guess he's coming to me for help_ Kirito thought as he followed the players gaze, shrugging his shoulders as he did so. Klein got himself into that mess by trying to proposition her in the first place, so he'd have to deal with the consequences on his own.

Looking back towards the female player Kirito noticed her squinting, trying to get a better look at the players in question before her face lit up in a shade of red. The realization of who they were and the subsequent memories of what had happened coming to her as she saw them. Her gaze once again turning towards Kirito before shooting to the floor. Mumbling something to herself as she did so. _How could she have been so stupid!_ She thought it was bad enough that she hadn't remembered who this player was, or that it was thanks to him and his friend that she made it out of that situation. But on top of that she was so rude and dismissive towards someone who was essentially her saviour. Turning her gaze up towards the player she showed an apologetic expression, like a child who had done something wrong and was being scolded by their parents.

"I didn't-" She began, her eyes taking on a puppy dog like quality and her face pouting as she tried to think of how to apologize. "I'm sorry, I just woke up and I didn't..."

Though she tried her best to be sicere, "Something funny!?" It fell apart as she looked at the boy and questioned him aggressively; Her previous sincerity nowhere to be found. Not being able to stick with just the smiling face and small snicker that managed to sneak it's way out Kirito broke into roaring laughter as he stared at the girl opposite him. He had been trying to keep up a professional attitude considering the situation and what she may be thinking, though after seeing her puppy dog eyes and how flustered she had gotten upon realising what had happened he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Sorry, sorry." He spoke between bouts of laughter while wiping away the tears that had welled up in his eyes. "I just wasn't expecting such a cute reaction from you. You seemed so hostile a minute ago so I thought you were a bit of an uptight person."

"Cute-!" She inadvertently spoke out, giving away her inner thoughts in the process. No one- and she meant no one, had ever a called her cute. A wave of embarrassment washed over her as Kirito's comments sunk in. She didn't want to be called cute!... _did she?_ No, being cute in this world wasn't going to be help her escape. If she was to get out of this game then she wanted to do it on her own terms and not because someone thought she was cute and was thus willing to help. She looked towards Kirito as he now looked out towards the open field at his friend still making his way towards them, his side profile being caught in the disappearing sunlight and outlining his features. Catching herself staring she quickly looked to the floor, a hint of red once again gracing her cheeks. _Then again, maybe being called cute wasn't such a bad thing after all…_

Though she may have wanted to remain in that pleasantly calming atmosphere for a little longer, the two of them not speaking a word and instead letting the silence take hold. They were instead pulled from forcefully from it as a high pitched squall unbefitting of the one who had produced it emanated from the open plain.

"Kirito...!" The person called out, his voice ragged and breathing irregular from the sudden need to run a short marathon. Sighing at his friends arrival Kirito rose from the ground to meet him, a mixture of annoyance and thankfulness on his face at Klein's impeccable timing.

"H-Help me, she… she won't stop..." He spoke as he all but fell on Kirito, the exhaustion of the chase taking hold. But not before he took the chance to steal a glance behind him, just a quick look at the girl who had been giving chace. Hoping he would have at least a moment to rest. Unfortunately, his assailant wasn't up for letting him have such a thing. "Hyah!" Once again releasing a sound unbefitting of someone who considered himself so manly, Klein jumped up in surprise at the small amount of distance between himself and the player, her sword raised in preparation and ready to land an attack. The sight meant he had only moments to act and so faced with such a dilemma he did the best thing he could think of. That being to make use of his friend Kirito. Though the player was a third party in this ordeal he would still serve as the perfect human shield and give him some defense against the incoming attack.

With moments to spare Klein raised a hand from behind his friend-turned human shield. "Wait! Wait-Wait-Wait-Wait! I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. I just have a mouth that speaks before I think and when I see a cute girl, I can't help it!" The players sword stopped, millimeters from Kirito's face as he stood there with his hands also raised in a stopping motion. Klein's unwilling proxy.

"You..." The player spoke, her voice quite and her anger clear. Though it was only a single word it caused both Kirito and Klein to reflexively gulp in anticipation of her next words.

"You're all the same, every last one of you."

"Huh?" The two of them let out in response.

"The second you find out you're practically throwing yourselves at us under the pretense of help." Having spoke her words the player pulled her sword back, resting in against her side. "I won't..." her grip tightened on the sword, "I won't let that happen again!" She roared, her sword swinging up from its resting position on course for a direct hit with their left side. The action caused the two of them to tense up, not because of the impending attack; but rather what was paired with it. Where her red colored cape had previously hidden her face it was now pulled back, the wind removing it as she moved suddenly and revealing for the first time her chestnut colored hair and hazel eyes under the bright light of the sun. Eyes that were leaking tears and outlined in a hint of red as a result. Unable to react to her attack the two of them stood there, stunned at the view in front of them and remorseful for their own actions which had caused this.

"Hahh!" Her sword continued it's swipe, ready to cleave them in two.

….

…..

…

*clang*

The sound of metal hitting metal reverberated through the area, the trees of the forest serving to play up the acoustics of the action.

Shocked at her strike suddenly being halted the girl's eyes opened wide. Her gaze looking to where her sword had been stopped before landing on the site of her friends well worn shield, her face a picture of struggle as she held back the force of the swing despite the awkward angle. Realising what she had been about to do the players hands loosened, her sword dropping to the floor with a dull thud as the grass cushioned its fall. She was about to… she had nearly… She looked at her hands, unable to keep them still as she was faced with the possible outcome of her actions.

Not being able to hold her gaze any longer she looked to her friend who had blocked her previous attack. Her expression telling her all she needed to know. Her eyes continued their journey, this time landing on both Kirito and Klein; their expressions still in a state of shock from both her appearance and her friends intervention. Her mouth opened, lips trembling as she struggled to get her words out. Looking down again at her hands her thoughts wandered, _I nearly killed them; my actions nearly led to their deaths._ Even if she was in two minds about believing that being killed in the game resulted in your death in real life, she still had her morality. Her hands clenched as if trying to grab something, though only grasping air in the process.

"I-I..." She choked as she tried to hold back her tears. Though this time they were for events that were about to happen, rather than those that had happened before.

Being able to stutter nothing more than those words, even if they were just singular letters; led to the figurative and liturative flood gates opening as she pulled her hands over her eyes in an attempt to stop to tears. Her cry's echoing around the area as the full weight of what had happened to her over the past week came crashing down. Those experiences had meant she almost killed two players and only now was she realizing that. Her legs gave way, unable to hold her up any longer as she fell to the floor.

To see anyone cry was a moment not easily forgotten, you were witnessing them at their absolute lowest; a time when all their emotions were being laid bare for all to see. Her cries continued as she cradled her head in her hands, trying desperately to escape from the situation. For anyone seeing such an event it was inevitable that they would at the very least feel something, even if they were not willing or able to act in such a situation. An inevitability that was in fact felt most strongly by Kirito and Klein who were both males in the cusp of adolescence -Klein's actual age notwithstanding-. The fact that a person was crying in front of them was a girl no less meat that they were unable to act. Neither of them having the experience or know how to deal with what was in front of them. Instead, as if both coming to the same conclusion at the exact same moment they turned to their right; their gaze laying on the players friend as she stood from the kneeling position she had taken to block the previous attack.

Unlike the two players staring at her she moved with confidence, as if in a well practiced motion that she had done countless times. Moving to stand over her friend who was presently curled up in a ball on the floor below her she displayed a stoic expressions. A possible attempt to hide her own emotions as they would not have proven helpful given the situation. Releasing a sigh, she once again dropped to one knee; though this time not in preparation of blocking a incoming sword swipe. Instead she lifted her arms and pulled the player's head into a hug as it rested against her chest. The contact made the girl jump slightly, her cry's slowing as she fell into the warmth that her friend provided.

"It's okay..." Her friend said softly. "You don't need to do anything, it's okay now."

At her words the girls tears came to a halt and she fell silent, her hands falling away as she gazed down at the grass below. Completely encompassed in the warmth of her friend, both physically and emotionally.

"I-I..." She tried speaking, her friend tighten her grip around her as she spoke. "It-It's not okay! That time I didn't- Because of me..."

"I said it's okay didn't I." The girl replied softly while interrupting her friend before she could continue. "You did this for me, right?" she didn't speak, only nodded her head in response. Satisfied with her answer she once again spoke, though a small smile now graced her lips

"...Then it's fine..."

The two remained that way for a number of minutes, waiting for the tense atmosphere to leave before continuing to speak.

"Thank you. Thank you Asuna, you're the greatest friend a girl could ask for."

Once again she didn't receive a verbal reply, her friend merely releasing a small groan in response.

Having gotten her to settle down the girl turned to face the two players behind her, her gaze meeting with Kirito as she offered a silent thanks for not making the situation worse. Asuna had unwillingly shown a delicate side of herself and in the process had almost killed two players. With the tension that once filled the air disappearing a smile again graced her lips, though this time gone was the sincerity of a friend and in its place sat the mischievousness of a small child. Turning back to her friend she leaned down and placed her mouth against Asuna's ear before speaking.

"You know Asuna, as happy as I am that we finally got to have a heart to heart. If we stay like this much longer I'm not sure the guy's will be able to take it."

At her friends words the girl stiffened, having completely forgotten that they weren't alone. Sensing this her friend's smile grew wider, Asuna had placed her in this situation and she was at least going to get something out of it.

"You keep this up and you'll be single forever..." Again at her friends words Asuna tightened up before she began wiping at her face with her hands, trying to remove the marks left behind by the tears. Even after having been in the game for a week the extent to which it was able to emulate the real world continued to shock her. Pulling away the shield user jumped to her feet, giving Asuna some much needed room as she composed herself. Digging her heels into the soft ground she spun around and faced the two players who had remained slightly up until that point.

Gone was her previously confident expression, replaced by a look of apprehension; as if she wasn't sure what to say. Glancing down at the floor for a moment she talked herself up, _come on, you've got this. You've spoken to plenty of strangers before so this should be easy._ Moving her gaze up she stared into the eyes of the player in front, his dark onyx eyes reflecting against her deep blue ones. Clenching her fist in one last act of determination she relaxed her hand before bowing her head and speaking.

"Thank you."

"...Eh?"

Looking up in response to the players response she continued, "If you hadn't shown up when you did, I'm not sure how we would have made it out of there. So really," She extended a hand, hoping that the player in front would take hold. "Thank you." She finished as she displayed a sincere and heartfelt smile.

Slightly overwhelmed at the gratitude being shown Kirito and Klein continued standing in place, unsure what face to show and/or how to act. Eventually though Klein came to his senses as he looked at the player extending her hand out, waiting for Kirito to take hold. Not wanting what should be a moment of thanks to turn awkward Klein gave a slight nudge to his friend in an attempt to bring him out of his trance.

"Ah!"

Kirito exclaimed as he was startled by his friends hand that had been jabbed into his ribs. Whipping his head around as he gave a death glare to his friend. Though after being met with his typically goofy grin Kirito could do nothing more than release a exasperated sigh before turning back towards the girl and giving his reply.

"It's...err. It's fine. We only did what any other players would do and I'm sure you would have been just fine without us."

Listening to Kirito's reply the girl dropped her hand as she wore a perplexed expression. _Did he really think that? Or was he just being humble._ Whatever the case the fact that the two of them were there and chose to help was reason enough and she wanted to at least show her gratitude.

"Well thanks anyway, it's nice to know there are people in this world who are willing to help." As if trying to accentuate her words the player showed a satisfied smile, though the slightly uneasy tone of her voice hinted at something more.

Listening to the conversation unfold in front of him Klein eventually released a sigh of relief as the two parties involved exchanged accepting glances with each other. Maneuvering his way around Kirito he looked towards the female player before speaking.

"I-If you two are done I'd like to say my piece as well."

Surprised at the sound of Klein's voice both players turned towards him, a mixture of worry and optimism on display.

"You don't need to hog all the attention for yourself Kirito." He verbally jabbed as he stood alongside him. Once again releasing a sigh at Klein's antics Kirito indicated towards him before speaking.

"This here's Klein and as he said my names Kirito."

Given with a half hearted smile Kirito tried his best to remain as positive as possible. An action that didn't go unnoticed as the girl displayed a almost cheerful expression before nodding in Klein's direction.

"Well it's nice to meet you Kirito, Klein. My name's Lisbeth and this here, " She took a step to the side before pointing to her friend, who by this point was now back on her feet and looking more composed. "Is Asuna."

Nervous at suddenly being put on the spot Asuna merely nodded in return, her eyes looking behind Kirito and Klein rather than at them. _Must still be a bit embarrassed about what happened._ The two of them thought, though neither was willing to call her out on it.

With their introductions out of the way the group fell into silence. Telling each other their names was the easy part, but what came after that was a mystery. After all Kirito was a rather anti-social person before being trapped in the game whose main interactions were with his family and others online. Asuna was still uneasy about how she had acted in front of them and couldn't bring herself to speak up. While Lisbeth was stuck thinking of Kirito's words to her when she had first woken up. As such this meant that the responsibility of moving the conversation along fell to the one who was perhaps also best at it, namely Klein.

"So… How'd you get out here anyway. This is pretty far away from the town of beginnings for it to just be a day trip."

In response to his question Lisbeth showed an inquisitive expression while mulling over his words in her head. _Did he have ulterior motives or was he just trying to make conversation?_ Whatever the case may be she eventually came up with a response.

"We were sticking to the main hunting areas like everyone else, but some stuff... happened, then they started to get busy and it started taking a lot longer to earn the same amount of EXP as before so we figured we should probably head out and try find another place to grind levels."

Kirito nodded his head in response, her reasoning made sense. There would be an initial period of time where the nearby fields were still empty, but as more and more players came to terms with their situation and what they needed to do if they wanted to get out of it. It was only natural that those nearby fields would become overrun with lots of players looking to make a quick buck and some EXP. That and she mentioned that something else had happened, looking towards her she gave no indication as to what she could have meant. Deciding that it was probably best not to pry Kirito instead gave his agreement.

"That makes sense, but why all the way out here? Not to discredit you or anything but the two of you hardly look like you were planning for a trek east."

Pouting slightly at not being taken seriously, even if the other party didn't mean it Lisbeth showed a disgruntled expression before releasing a sigh and giving a retort.

"Well we may not look like much, but I bet the two of us could still give you a run for your money."

"Ah, I don't doubt it. I'm sorry if I offended you. It's just this areas normally pretty void of players and seeing a party of two for the first time was a bit of a surprise. Most players that make it this far are in groups of at least four or five."

Aware that he was tiptoeing around the edge of a landmine Kirito spoke those words. Seemingly pleased with his answer Lisbeth placed a hand on her hip as she took on a more relaxed posture. Leading Kirito to once again talk, this time in hopes of making his escape.

"Well you're both awake now so me and Klein are going to head off, right Klein?"

"Huh, wha-?" Completely oblivious to the conversation and still staring intently at the girls he only responded when Kirito gave him a light tap on the arm.

"I said we're going. Or what, was there something else you wanted to say?"

As if he were a child who had just been told by their parents that their trip to the beach had been canceled Klein showed a disappointed expression as he looked between the girls and Kirito. He had finally run into a cute girl, and not one but two at once. But now they were going to leave them, even after playing the part of the hero. Dropping his expression to reiterate his sadness he replied.

"No, I got nothing. Let's go."

He didn't want to leave after only just meeting them, but if his first interaction with Asuna was anything to go by then it was probably for the best.

Nodding his head in agreement Kirito once again turned back towards the girls before saying his goodbye's.

"Hopefully our next meeting will be less dramatic. Anyway, cya."

And so he turned back towards the forest and began walking back in the same direction he had originally entered the forest from. His pace resulting in Klein doing a double take as he turned to his side and noticed that Kirito was no longer there. Not wanting to get left behind again he gave a quick node to both players before also turning and breaking into a short jog in an attempt to catch up with him.

Stunned at the speed with which the two players had left Lisbeth was left standing their, a perplexed and slightly shocked look on her face. By the looks of it Klein didn't want to leave but Kirito was all too eager to, _maybe he just felt uncomfortable_. She thought as she cupped her hands around her mouth in an attempt to make her voice louder.

"Thanks for the help!" She shouted, Klein turning his head and showing a smile before again nodding while Kirito kept his pace but raised a hand in the air and waved it in confirmation.

"Well that was weird." She spoke as she continued to watch the two of them. "I wanted to at least buy them something as thanks but guess that'll have to wait until next time."

"We should..."

"Eh!" Lisbeth jumped in surprise at the voice next to her before turning to her side and finding Asuna lowering her cape's hood and letting her hair run free. "My god, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Confused as to her friends words Asuna tilted her head to the side as she stared at her, _did she do something to make her jump?_ Though she wasn't aware of it her quiet nature combined with the red cape gave her a surprisingly small presence and she was easy to forget. Despite having been friends with Asuna for a week already, Lisbeth was still surprised at times when she would be their without her knowing.

"So…? We should what exactly?"

"We should pay them back."

"And how exactly are you planning on doing that, you may have forgotten your little outburst but as far as their aware you're just the emotionally unstable player who broke down during your first meeting."

To Lisbeth's words Asuna showed a pout. "Still, you should pay back people. It's bad to have a unpaid debt."

"Yeah, but-" She tried to retort but was cut off by her friend. As she turned to face her, her eyes held a weird fire in them.

"We should pay them back. We need, to pay them back."

That was odd. Though the amount of time Lisbeth had known her was short, Asuna was normally rather submissive when the two of them were deciding on what to do; leaving most of the decisions to be made by herself.

"Hmm, well I doubt we could afford any worthwhile items that they don't already have." Thinking for a moment an idea eventually popped into her head. "...Hmm, if that's the case we could always..."

"Hey! Kirito, Klein!" She called out, breaking into a sprint in an attempt to catch up with the two players who were now within the confines of the trees, chatting ideally to each other as they walked. Eventually catching them she placed a hand on both their shoulders, breathing heavily and slightly bent over in an attempt to regain her breath. The sudden contact had caused the two of them to jump, Lisbeth's previous call had been mostly muffled out by the thick trees and as a result they hadn't heard her. Both turning to see who had come running to place a hand on their shoulders they were relieved to find that it at least wasn't a monster, but instead Lisbeth who had been able to catch them while Asuna could be seen still running towards them.

"W-w-w-what do you want?" Kirito questioned, being the first to regain his composure and attempt to get answers for the situation.

Having managed to control her breathing Lisebeth released her hands from their shoulders before turning towards Kirito and delivering her answer, "Let us tag along."

The forest was eerily quiet, with only the rustling of leaves and branches in the wind for ambient noise. Neither Klein nor Kirito had expected those words, as evidenced by the looks on their faces. A surprise that also seemed to be shared by Asuna as she had stopped running and was now standing still, a similar expression on display under her hood. Though despite everyone's reactions Lisbeth remained resolute, her expression holding in a smile; as if the confidence she had in her own words was absolute.

To her those words may have seemed natural and without any deep meaning or consequence. Though despite her obliviousness the wheels had been set into motion and they had each taken the first step onto the path of the future, one they may yet come to regret travelling.

* * *

 **Now that each of the main characters have been introduced the pace should start to pick up a bit. As ever I'll try and keep a respectable update schedule -once a month at a minimum- but as usual I'll only put out a chapter when it's ready.**

 **If you have any thoughts or suggestion feel free to let me know, I'm always looking to improve my writing and the only way to do that is with your feedback. As ever I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next one.**


	5. Chapter 5: The State of Play

Arc: Aincrad

 **The Power of Three V**

* * *

The town of beginnings looked much the same as it had one week prior. Still holding the lively feel of a bustling market town teetering on the edge of being a metropolis, though it had seen a significant drop in player numbers. Many had either moved onto one of the countless smaller villages populating the first floor in search of quests and less populated hunting spots. Or were holed up inside their rented rooms waiting and hoping, that this incident would blow over without them needing to get involved. Besides the main two there was also another reason for the decreased number of players roaming the streets. Namely, that of player deaths. Though most would have been chalked up to deaths against mobs by the unprepared it was no secret that the majority of players who had died over the first week had been because of one reason and one reason alone.

Suicide.

Akihiko Kayaba had made it abundantly clear in his opening speech that death in the game equated to death in the real world. Despite this, there were as ever some who chose to ignore this warning. Instead, taking it as nothing more than an overly elaborate opening event for the game and believing that in the absence of a regular logout button; something owing to said elaborate opening. Then they could still use their own death to force the system to log them out; the shock caused by such an event shutting off their Nervegear. In the end it was a very human thing to do, an almost automatic response in the face of such an impossibility that they simply couldn't comprehend. Many chose the first option they could think of, regardless of if it was governed by reason or logic. If they did it and they were logged out then they would be free of this virtual hell, alternatively if they did it and they were in fact killed as Kayaba had said would happen, then in a way they were also free. Free from having to participate in someone else's game for their amusement.

This was the reality that Kirito and those accompanying him were faced with when returning to the town of beginnings. Though there was no one there telling them such events had transpired during their absence, it was difficult to miss the murmurs in the streets and the hushed tone of people's voices as they spoke of the state of the game. The idea that people would actively be taking their own lives in an attempt to escape would be a difficult thing for just about anyone to handle, but for someone like Klein who was at heart a people person; it was particularly poignant.

After coming to a halt in the central plaza Klein's expression was one of distinct anger. His fists hung clenched at his sides as he stared at the cobbled floor below. No one in the group had spoken a word after entering the city, instead walking in silence until they reached the central plaza.

"I…!" Klein spoke out, his contained anger on clear display as his face formed a scowl and his voice drew the attention of the other group members. "I'm gonna go-" Despite his words the group remained silent. _Go? Go where?_ The question bounced around in their heads as they tried to decipher what he had meant. Thankfully for them it didn't take long for an answer. "I have to do something, anything!" His words came as a shock, even to those who were considered his close friends and knew his demeanor well.

"I can't just stand around and do nothing." He continued as he unintentionally answered those unspoken questions.

"What do you mean do nothing? We just got here." Being the only player outside of Klein's close knit group of friends who had spoken with him before Kirito voiced their concerns. The long silence after he finished telling them that if they wanted clarification then they would have to push for it. Which judging by the look on each of Klein's friends faces wasn't going to be done anytime soon. With none of them showing any signs of challenging him, Kirito gained the impression that they were sharing a similar sentiment as that of their unelected leader and trying to come to terms with what they had heard. _Perhaps Klein's personality rubbed off on them more than I thought_. He mused while glancing at them out of the corner of his eye.

"If people are actually jumping then I can't just ignore it. I can't just ignore it and forget it's happening! How could anyone continue on when they knew they could have done something and saved a life!"

Though his words were short and blunt they still hit hard. Deep down everyone wanted to save a life, to have been there for someone and know that they made the difference between that person taking their own life or continuing to live. In this case it was just that Klein was more willing to take those steps to achieve that ideal, even if he wasn't entirely sure of what those steps were.

Not wanting to waste any more time arguing what he saw as a mute point Klein dropped his head and broke out into a sprint, making for the closest exit from the plaza.

"""Klein!""" A few members of his party shouted, unsure of what else to do. Though unfortunately for them their cries fell on deaf ears as their target continued to move away. Having failed to stop him with words alone, Dale and Dynamm quickly followed after him with the rest of the group in tow. Leaving none other than Harry One on his own, though he still felt out of place after the incident at the start of the week he didn't have much of a choice and reluctantly moved to catch up with the group of players. Thinking quickly Kirito called out to Harry One, "I'll message you if I find anything. Just-" He paused for a moment, wondering if he should continue with the words jumping around his head.

"Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Nodding at the black haired boy's words the final member of Klein's group left, clutching their weapons and chasing after their headstrong leader.

Releasing a sigh of exhaustion at the man's actions Kirito turned his attention to the remaining two members of their once busy group. Standing silently they had watched events unfold in front of them without giving input. Partly because it wasn't their place to do so and partly because they were as equally shocked as Klein had been. Being as open to people as she was Lisbeth was the most expressive, her face looked to be in a state of turmoil as she tried to comprehend how anyone could possibly take their own life. While in complete contrast to her friend Asuna's face was once again obscured by her red cape, her thoughts impossible to discern even when he caught a glimpse.

Scratching the back of his head in a way that somehow gave him courage Kirito thought of his- or rather their- next move. To some he may have seemed heartless, pushing the problem of player's commiting suicide away in favour of thinking about their next move. But in reality that's just how he was, it was how he dealt with struggle. To keep pushing forward and ignore the consequences. No doubt one day it would all come crashing down. All of his emotions and everything he had tried to run away from would come back for him. But today, today wasn't to be that day.

Turning towards the two remaining players with a new found confidence he made a suggestion. "Sense we've travelled all the way back here we should probably try and find out what the state of play is."

Seeing through their expressions that they may not be completely onboard with the idea Kirito quickly blurted out a hopeful resolution.

"Or if you want we could go help Klein… I'm fine with whatever."

As if a switch had been flipped thanks to Kirito's backtrack. Lisbeth's face, which had once been full of turmoil and anguish was once more adorned with neutral expression as she stared at the boy who had chosen to speak first.

"No, you're right." She replied before taking her hands and hitting either side of her face. In part to relax her expression and in part to psychic herself up.

"Running around and trying to stop people isn't going to help us or them. We'd do better to give them hope of getting out and finding out the state of play would be a good place to start."

"Umm, what do you mean by the state of play?" Breaking up the tense atmosphere that had begun to build, Asuna took the opportunity to ask about a term she was unfamiliar with.

She had remained quiet for the duration mainly for the same reason she was asking the aforementioned question. That being her lack of knowledge when it came to not just Sword Art Online but gaming in general. She had dived into SAO on nothing more than a whim. The opportunity presenting itself when her older brother had to leave and in doing so giving her the chance to see what all the fuss was about. She had to admit that she was a lot more impressed with how life like everything felt compared to her own previous ideas about it. Though truth be told she still felt a certain disconnect, like the avatar she was controlling wasn't quite her. While it looked like her and moved like her there was something keeping it from truly feeling the same as in the real world. A way of thinking that was shared by her thoughts on other players as well, something which resulted in her out of character dismissal towards the talk of player suicides. At least when compared to how she would have reacted towards such claims in real life.

Surprised at her sudden question Kirito felt slightly taken aback by her suddenly making her presence known. He had believed that anyone who was going to be shelling out the high cost of both the Nervegear and Sword Art Online would be hardcore gamers. So the fact that she apparently didn't know such a simple term came as a bit of a shock. Despite this he was always willing to help out others when he could, especially when that came with being able to share his knowledge.

"I guess you could say it just means the current situation. Like whether anyone's made a move on the boss or if people have started grouping up and taking sides." Pausing for a moment to remember the sparseness of the town of beginnings they encountered upon their return, along with the general lack of atmosphere it now possessed he continued. "Of course, that's assuming that any progress has been made at all."

"Hmmm, I see." Asuna hummed in response as she nodded her head in understanding. "That makes sense."

Pleased that someone else had been able to fill in the blanks for her friend when she couldn't Lisbeth nodded alongside her before a thought popped up inside her head. "That's great and all but how exactly you plan on finding this out? I doubt there's someone standing around willing to just give us an update and it's not like there's a wiki or any online forums we can check out."

Once again hearing terms that were foreign to her Asuna thought about asking about them as well, but eventually decided against it. Opting instead to listen to Kirito's response. As if he had such a thing planned all along Kirito's face showed a pleased, almost playful expression. "On the contrary, " He said in an over the top, smug tone of voice. "I've got just the person. Though we're not going to find them just waiting around here, we'll need to head back into town."

"Ok. I'm fine with that, Asuna?" Lisbeth said as she turned to her friend. "Kirito's got a point, we've been out in the fields nonstop and I haven't got a clue what's going on with the game. I'm gonna tag along and see what I can find out. Did you want to come with, or you going to head back and find an Inn?"

Looking between the two of them Asuna mulled over Lisbeth's proposition, she had a point didn't she? She like many wanted to be released from this virtual prison masquerading as a game and if she wanted to achieve this then getting information would be a good first step. That, and if she was being honest she didn't enjoy the feeling of being left out like she was. As such she nodded her head and gave her answer.

"If it's alright I'll come with the two of you."

Accepting her answer Lisbeth turned back to Kirito. "Well there you have it, looks like you're going to have to put up with our company for a bit longer yet. Assuming you're alright with that?"

"Uh, sure. Yeah, I'm fine with that." Kirito stuttered out in response, not entirely convincing in its execution.

"Right… So how are we meant to get this information? You mentioned that you knew someone?"

"Mhmm, I know a certain someone. Though I should probably warn you ahead of time that they can be a bit… eccentric?"

"Eccentric?" Lisbeth questioned, not entirely following Kirito's train of thought.

"Maybe that's not the right word, but you'll see when we get there. It's not to far. We just have to hope she's there."

 _She?_ Lisbeth and Asuna exchanged a look with each other at the mention of the individual's gender, but neither were willing to press for answers. Choosing to instead take on a show and tell approach, waiting until they got to their destination for Kirito to come clean.

* * *

The three of them had been walking for a little over twenty minutes, the sheer size of the town of beginnings on display as they navigated their way through it. Despite walking for a sizeable amount of time they were still surrounded by much of the same architecture as when they had first set off, buildings and market stalls populating each of the interconnected streets. Though for the last five minutes or so the once cohesive building style and sounds of the active market were beginning to filter out, replaced by the dark quiet of small back streets and alleys. Noticing this change and beginning to question her all to trusting friends decision Asuna spoke up, just enough for said friend to hear; but still quiet enough that their guide couldn't.

"Hey, Liz. Are you sure about this, we've been walking for almost half an hour and I'm not even sure I know where we are anymore."

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself, though we're still within the town so it's not like he can do anything."

Rather than him not being able to do anything, the suggestion that he could potentially do _something_ caused Asuna's normally stoic expression to falter slightly, _what did she mean by anything?_ At Lisbeth's words her mind wandered to a myriad of different possibilities. None of them good. Seeing her sudden change in expression Lisbeth's own expression formed a frown. She didn't know what Asuna was thinking but whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Hey Kirito, how much further?"

"We're almost there!" He called out, not turning back as he was preoccupied looking for something. His gaze darting down branching paths in hopes that they would contain what he was searching for.

"Ok. It's just, we've been walking for a while now and to tell you the truth I'm beginning to think you're lost."

Stopping at an intersection with his back to one of the alleyways Kirito turned to his side, allowing him to look at the girls while also keeping an eye out for their informant.

"No need to worry, I know exactly where we are... Relatively speaking. But that's besides the point, I said before we need information and the best place to get that this early on is from, well. Other players, so our best bet is-"

"-to come visit the best one in the business. Ain't that right, Kii-bou."

Ontop of having his own sentence finished for him a sudden weight pressed against Kirito's back, resulting in him losing his balance. Swiftly side stepping from the unexpected player he turned to face the perpetrator. He wasn't a big fan of sudden and uninvited contact, especially when that contact came from a female player as he knew it had done. Standing in front of him with a dejected look on her face -a result of his having dropped her back to the floor- was a short female player who stood with her mouth open, ready to voice her complaints. Though this idea was quickly banished when she noticed the two of them were in fact not alone. Casting her eyes over to the two players accompanying the boy she tried to deduce why they would be with him. It was a rare sight to see him with another player, a fact she had learned during the beta and one that lead her to believe she was just about the only other player he ever spoke to. So to find him now grouped up with not one but two other players -both of which were girls no less- was quite the surprise.

"Finally gave up the solo life did ya now Kii-bou?" The short player questioned as her hands came down from their grappling position, her face giving away a growing pleasure as her mind played with the idea of her getting one over him. "And ta think all those times I tried to get ya to party up with me and ya refused." Peering past the confused boy she looked to the other two players accompanying him. She could see by their expressions alone that they were taken aback by the familiarity with which she spoke and her actions left them unsure what to say or do.

Enjoying the effect she was having on not only the pair of unknown players but also Kirito, she spoke again. "I guess just havin' little ol' me just wasn't enough for ya."

Feeling that he had been made the unwilling center of attention Kirito looked back to Asuna and Lisbeth, trying to gauge their reactions to the short girls verbal jabs. Which judging by their expressions and the way they had both taken a step back wasn't good. Panic began to come over him as he tried to think of what to do, the last thing he wanted was them thinking he had in some way dropped the info broker in the past. For her part the short girls words had always been rather brazen and she really wasn't one to shy away from insinuating things, even if there was no truth to them. Having known her before Kirito was of course aware of this, and knew that she had often used it to her advantage during the beta. Continually teasing him to the point where he would sell the information she wanted for a cheaper price; just so he could get away. Though that was before Sword Art Online became a virtual prison. There was no telling if she still held that same playful nature as before, or if that playful nature had been replaced by a willingness to do what she needed to in order to survive.

Seeing the girls whisper to each other as they put a small amount of distance between themselves and him Kirito scrambled for what to do, _I should really say something before they misunderstand what she means._

"You know it's not like that Argo, this-" He said as he turned back towards the short info broker while gesturing between himself and the two girls. "-has its own set of circumstances."

Despite his attempts to downplay the situation and dismiss her suggestions, Argo was as he well knew a particularly thorough info broker. So it came as no surprise that at the mention of _circumstances_ her ears perked up, like that of the personified rat that she often touted herself as.

"Does it now?" Her voice dripped with intrigue as her face donned a pleased expression.

"For crying out- Don't you ever stop?" He knew that giving her even the slightest hint that he had information would result in her pushing for details, but given their situation he was hopeful she would make do with a simple explanation. Unfortunately, judging by the look she was given him there would be no such simple arrangement. Kirito released a dejected sigh as he came to realise this and reluctantly decided to give her what she wanted, his voice sounding tired and fed up.

"It'll cost you."

"Hoo, that's more like it. So how much we talkin'."

In almost all of their previous interactions it was Argo who had the upper hand. Leading him on and making his pay a pretty penny for her troubles. But in a rare turn of events it was now Kirito with the chance to take control and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to take advantage of it.

"Double." He replied with a knowing confidence. A confidence that was clear on his face as Argo stared back at him. He had only spoke a single word. But that single word was enough to wipe the smile off of the short players face as she realised how much he was asking for. Even if it was only for a moment and her bubbly demeanor quickly returned he was still able to put a crack in that perfect facade, something that he wasn't able to do during their time in the beta.

"Nyah, ha ha. Ya drive a hard bargain Kii-bou. Though ya did learn from the best so I can't complain. But I'm afraid I'll hav' ta decline for now."

In truth she would have really liked to get her hands on that information. For the solo player Kirito to have decided to partner up with not one, but two players and for those players to be girls no less was sure to have an interesting story behind it. But unfortunately, his asking price was rather outside of her reach; way outside of her reach in fact. As a player that rarely spent much time out in the fields completing quests or grinding levels, instead keeping to what she enjoyed most during her time in the beta - namely playing the role of an info broker - her available funds were rather lackluster. Though relatively speaking it was a rather safe profession by comparison thanks in no small part to most, if not all of her business being conducted from within the safety of town.

However, despite its many benefits there were also a number of drawbacks. For one it heavily relied on the wants and needs of other players. The likelihood of turning a profit coming down to there being a constant stream of players not only looking to purchase information, but also a select few willing to sell it. A scenario that rarely played out at such an early stage in the game's lifecycle. That wasn't to say she hadn't made some sales here and there, her knowledge from the beta serving to give her a base to work from. Apart from this there was also another drawback of her profession, that being her exposure to everything and anything going on within the town of beginnings.

Rumours were abound with people taking their own lives and there were even some stories of players disappearing from within, despite the safety that the anti-harassment system should have afforded them. She hadn't witnessed any of those instances herself but she was never one to dismiss a rumour, after all; the truth is often buried within.

Though she would never let it show she had struggled over the past week dealing with it all. One incident in particular stuck out in which she was unfortunate enough to witness someone jump to their death from one of the external barriers. After watching them fall into the abyss, her arrival being timed perfectly with their jump. She could do nothing more than stay cobbled up in her small rented room wondering what it was all for, why were they here and what was the point. Why go out and try to beat the game when you were more than likely going to end up dead before the end of it. But like she had done countless times in real life she eventually picked herself up, once more donning her facade of the teasing younger sibling as she tried to regain some level of normality. A normality that she was happy Kirito brought with him, even if he wasn't doing so on purpose.

"So let's get down ta business, shall we? I'm assuming ya want something and it weren't just ta see dear old me again."

Displaying an unimpressed and slightly miffed expression at her ability to keep her spirit's so high regardless of their situation Kirito chose to get straight to the point, enough time had been wasted already without him trying to refute her further.

"I need information."

"Course ya do. So, what ya want to know?"

"Has there been any movement toward the boss? Any sign of people groping up?"

Excited that someone was finally asking her for information she had, Argo's smile grew wider as thoughts of an impending sale circulated.

"Heh, I've got what ya need. But before that, ya gotta pay up."

"Yeah, yeah." Kirito replied, his patience for her usual routine waning. Opening his in-game menu he swiftly manipulated the interface and seconds later a trade window popped up in front of the info broker.

"This enough?"

"Yep!" She beamed at him before agreeing to the trade and having the Col transferred.

"Now then, ya want to know about the boss and play groups right?" She confirmed before continuing after receiving confirmation from her client.

"The short answer, no. And that goes for both fronts."

 _Well that was a waste of Col._

"Now, now don't get all frowney on me. That don't mean there's no one tryin'. From what I've heard a couple of small groups have already come together and tried to get through the dungeon to the boss room. But they've only had a couple of days ta prep so I'm sure ya can guess how that went."

The fact that some people had already tried making it through the dungeon itself wasn't all that surprising. No doubt many other players were just as eager as Kirito was to escape this charade of a game. Though that they had chosen to do it so soon was a bit of a surprise. They would have neither the level nor skill requirement for such a feat to be possible, in his own opinion their actions were both _reckless_ and _careless_. Though that didn't mean he would go out of his way to stop them.

"Other than that there really hasn't been much movement. Looks like most players are too busy trying ta survive ta be bothered with some like beating the game."

"I see, so we're still at least a couple of days out before anyone really makes a move."

"I'd hav' ta agree with ya there." Argo agreed. Before a mischievous grin once again graced her lips as she saw the wanting look on his face, "Can't stand the idea of not being at the front again? I mean after all back then you were all…"

Though she had more she wanted to say she was stopped by the sudden movement of the two players whom Kirito had brought with him, both of them taking a step forward and in doing so flanking either side of him.

"Well, yeah. Guess that's a story for another time."

Confused by her sudden pause kirito was about to ask what was wrong before he felt the presence of the two girls. Unfortunately, it would seem that he was so preoccupied with getting the information he needed that he'd forgotten basic etiquette. At the very least he shouldn't have left Asuna and Lisbeth out of the conversation for as long as he had.

"Heh, seems Kii-bou still hasn't kicked that habit of getting so wrapped up in stuff that he forgets the simple things, the name's Argo and as I'm sure ya can tell; I'm a infobroker." Finishing her belated introduction to the girls and giving Kirito a disapproving glance at his lack of action she held a hand up in friendly greeting.

"Umm, so because you're an infobroker does that mean anything I want to know. I can just ask you?"

To Argo's surprise, it wasn't the normally talkative looking, brown haired girl on Kirito's left that spoke first, but rather the tall hooded one on his right. Lowering her hand and placing it on her hip in a relaxing manner she gave the player an appraising look before giving her reply.

"Sure can, as long as ya got the money for it. I'd even sell my name for the right price."

"I see, I don't have much right now but when I've got more money is there a way I could contact you?"

"Course ya can, just add me as a friend and shoot me a message."

"Ok, how would I do that?"

 _Huh?_

Hearing Asuna question something which both Kirito and Argo saw as a basic function within SAO caused the two of them to stare at her in disbelief. While Argo didn't know anything about her and thus had every right to be surprised at her question, Kirito had been with her and Lisbeth for close to two days at this point and as such he should have been aware of her lack of knowledge. Exchanging a surprised glance with each other Argo and Kirito gave one last confused look before turning to Lisbeth who up until this point had continued to remain quiet.

"W-what?"

"You never…? I mean I know Asuna doesn't know much about gaming, but didn't you like, explain the menus and such?

"Wait, how'd you know I'm not a gamer?" Asuna questioned as a surprised expression donned her face. She hadn't told anyone about her lack of experience with games and she definitely hadn't told anyone how she had ended up playing Sword Art Online. So to hear Kirito so confidently reveal something she hadn't spoke to him about caused her to speak up in panic.

Turning to give her a blank stare Kirito gave her an explanation, "You used your name Asuna."

"And what's wrong with that, my name is Asuna."

"Exactly. No one uses their real name online or in games."

"Oh, well it didn't say anything about that."

Not wanting to see her friend struggle any longer Lisbeth spoke up. Explaining in a way that she would understand.

"Yeah, it wouldn't. It's more of an unwritten rule, no one wants to mix their real life with their virtual one. And, I'm sorry. I should have explained all this when we first met." Lisbeth finished as she lowered her head, believing that her words alone weren't enough of an apology.

"Eh! It's fine, it's fine. You didn't know, it's also my fault for keeping quiet for so long."

Moving to the side and watching as a surprised Asuna tried to convince her friend that it wasn't her fault Argo whispered into Kirito's ear. "Ah, isn't the friendship between young maidens beautiful." Knowing full well that she was trying to get a reaction out of him Kirito decided it was in his best interests not to speak. One wrong word and he could give Argo more ammunition to use against him in the future. So, Kirito kept quiet as he watched the two girls in front of him who by this point seemed to have made up. Having come to a middle ground where they were both happy they moved to open their in game menus. After which Lisbeth began giving what Kirito guessed was a crash course on some of it's more advanced functions beyond that of basic inventory and quest tracking. Finally nodding her head in understanding when the shorter girl finished, Asuna manipulated the menu and gave a bright smile to her friend before pulling her into a quick hug.

With their differences sorted and a better understanding of how the game functioned in hand Asuna pressed some of the Buttons on her in game menu and spoke. "Ok I think I get it now. Here Argo, I'll message you when I have enough money."

Accepting the friend request she had just received with a broad smile. Argo took the opportunity for further teasing of the lone male player in the group.

"Look Kii-bou! Guess that means I won, I got to be friends with A-chan first."

Not sure how to reply to her brazen attempts to provoke him Kirito settled for giving Argo an exhausted, yet annoyed stare. Luckily for him, however. He wouldn't need to deal with a smug Argo for much longer as upon seeing the victorious smile on the info brokers face Lisbeth decided to conduct some teasing of her own.

"Wait so if we're having a competition. Doesn't that mean I won? I mean, I was technically the first person Asuna added as a friend."

With an expression mimicking the victory she knew she had one over the info broker, Lisbeth proceeded to send off a friend request to both Argo and Kirito. Few people could truly retort Argo and though Kirito had tried in the past, he almost always failed terribly. As a result he was pleasantly surprised to see that on this occasion, Lisbeth had been successful in getting one over her. Her words causing Argo to show a brief, shocked expression for but a moment before replacing it with her usual cheery one.

"Nyah ha ha, ya would indeed be right." The info broker replied before accepting the given friend request. An action that also reminded her of the time, time that she was beginning to run out of. "Right well as fun as this as this 'as been I have another meeting ta get to."

"Well I wouldn't want to keep you from your job. There was something else as well but I'll message you about it later." Kirito said as he too took the opportunity to send off friend invites.

"Cool, now remember. Don't be a stranger, Argo's info shop is always open." Having said her goodbye she left just as quickly as she arrived. Though not before sneaking one last glance at the misfit group. She was very much surprised to see that Kirito wasn't alone when she found him and honestly she wasn't yet sure what to think of his new, _friends_? But at the very least they looked like they got along well enough. Besides, such an arrangement was sure to have an interesting story behind it. A story which she reminded herself she would need to extract from him at some point. As for Kirito he had been much the same as how she remembered him during their time together in the beta. Though now with a 200% increase in his party size. Thinking back on their teped friendship she tried to recall how it had gotten such a point. Whether it was because of how much enjoyment she got out of teasing him, or for another reason; she wasn't sure. But her reasoning didn't matter, it was a face that if anything were to happen to him; or worse. If he were to somehow meet his end before they got out then… _Well, I don't even want to think about it_.

Watching and waiting for Argo to make it around the corner Kirito turned back to Asuna and Lisbeth, "Right with that done, let's get going. I've got an idea for where to go next."

Happy to keep following Kirito as he clearly had a plan in mind the two girls fell in behind him. Sharing a glance with each other the two girls almost felt as though they could read each other's thoughts. Their faces showing what they were thinking as they made their way back from where they came. There was clearly plenty of history between Kirito and this new player, Argo. But as much as they both wanted to know what that history was now was neither the time nor place to ask.

Unaware of the mental conversation taking place behind him Kirito continued back along the path they had taken to get there, a path that he had come to memorize during the beta. Continuing to navigate around the complex design of the town his mind unintentionally pondered on a single thought. Why was it that even now, when they were trapped in a virtual world with the very real possibility of them dying at any moment. Why, why was she still the same? She still had that cherry, cheeky personality about her and still took on the teasing tone of a younger sibling. At least she did so with him… _But, why. Why does she only act like that with me?_

* * *

Having familiarized themselves with the state of the game Kirito and the girls made their way out of the backstreets, this time heading for the west area of the town of beginnings. The information he'd gained from Argo made it pretty clear that they had some time before anyone made an actual go for the boss, but just because they had time didn't mean they shouldn't do anything to prepare. For starters he was in dire need of an upgrade. He had been using the same set of swords nonstop that he'd purchased from a small weapons vendor at the start of the week, they were cheap, dealt average damage and had similar variants available in almost all of the shops on the first floor. A combination that made them the perfect early game weapon without the need to be locked into a specific weapon type. It wasn't uncommon for a player to pick their main sword, spear or axe and stick with it, applying upgrades and having it repaired at the nearest blacksmith when the time called for it. But applying the same strategy to the weapons currently on offer in NPC shops proved woefully uneconomical, you could of course upgrade them like the rest of your gear to ensure they levelled with you. But the bonuses gained from such upgrades were marginal at best for such common weapons and when coupled with the maintenance being paid on top; It proved to be a rather pointless endeavour.

Arriving back at the main street which ran through the heart of the city, the three of them were once again greeted with the sounds of life. Chatter from players and NPCs again filled the previously quite background, while the high pitched klang of metal striking metal from blacksmiths at work helped to give the area a distinct vibe. The town itself was split up into four individual districts. The west was dedicated to shops and trade, the east taverns and social hubs, the south player and NPC housing and finally the north which was home to the « **Black Iron Palace** ». With an aim of upgrading equipment and restocking supplies it was only logical that their destination would be the west end of town.

Taking a moment to scan his surroundings before entering the market proper, Kirito turned to the two players accompanying him and found that they had now moved on from giving each other insinuating stares to quietly talking together. He couldn't hear what they were saying but from the looks of it they were at least engrossed in something rather interesting. The small bouts of laughter and enthusiastic body language of Lisbeth telling him all he needed to know. They were talking about him and Argo. Deciding it best not to get involved in a conversation where he could potentially discredit himself he instead continued to stare, waiting for them to finish what they were talking about while also partly hoping that one of them would notice him and say something.

Thankfully his hopes were answered when something Lisbeth said caused Asuna to chuckle in response and in doing so turn her head in a way that caught Kirito's gaze.

"Is everything Ok, Kirito?"

Turning her head to face him directly, her hazel eyes peered past the dark hood of her red cloak as she looked for an answer as to why he had been standing still and looking lost for the past two minutes. An action that was quickly mimicked by her friend as she too turned to face him, wondering if there was indeed something wrong.

"Ah, umm. Y-yeah there's nothing wrong. I just wanted to ask you something." He said, slightly taken aback by the sudden combination of two pairs of eyes looking to him for an answer. Not to mention the strangely worrying tone of Asuna's voice. He didn't think she meant it to come out that way, but for whatever reason she sounded as if she was genuinely worried.

"Yes?"

"Well. It's just that you two said before that you wanted to tag along, right?"

"That's right," Lisbeth replied quickly, not even giving her friend a chance to speak and earning a look from said friend for doing so. A look that she chose to disregard as she continued. "Asuna here still wants to pay you back."

At her friends words Asuna let out a huff of air. She didn't like the idea of being the sole reason the three of them were together, even if it was the truth. Regardless, if she wanted to payback Kirito for his help then it was clear now that she would need to convince him just how serious she was about it. So, after taking a breath of air to better compose herself she turned to him and took a small step forward before speaking.

"I..."

But nothing more than an awkward silence followed. _Words are hard,_ she thought. For the first time in her life Asuna wasn't sure how to continue. She knew what she had to say, just not how to say it. How could she convince someone who was still little more than an acquaintance that she was sincere about repaying them? Even if the both of them were nothing more than virtual avatars inhabiting a virtual world, with their true identities hidden. She still wanted to prove her belief in her own ideals, to show that to her at least; this was more than just a virtual world.

"When we first me I was wrong, I know that now but I acted on impulse and as a result did something I shouldn't have. But when I saw you and Klein standing over Lisbeth I…" Pausing and trying to decide what to say next she was surprised to feel someone grabbing her hand. Turning to face the perpetrator she was met with Lisbeth's smiling face. She hadn't known Asuna's previous actions held such a weight over her, so even if it was just a little bit. She wanted to let her know that those actions were appreciated. Smiling in return as she felt the warmth of her friends hand Asuna turned back to Kirito.

"Well, I guess that doesn't matter now. But at that time your words, what you said to me made me see just how wrong I was."

Finishing her words Asuna waited to see Kirito's reaction. Growing nervous as she waited for his response she grabbed onto the hem of her skirt with her free hand while her other returned the tight grip of her friend. She was worried, worried and afraid that by coming clean with everything she would come across as overbearing, someone whom he would think it was too much of a hassle to be with. Showing no sign of speaking up she tried her best once more to convey her feelings.

"I know you don't think you made a difference, but you did. You helped me in a way that I don't even know how to begin paying you back."

Shocked by Asuna's confession of just how much his actions meant to her he scrambled for a response. "That's- you don't need to pay me back. I- I just said what was on my mind. I'm sure if someone else was there, they would have done the same."

In response to his words Asuna shook her head. That wasn't it, that wasn't it at all.

"Whether you did it intentionally or not doesn't matter, you were there for me when I needed someone and I wanted to repay you, I still want to pay you back. So I'm going to remain with you, I want to remain with you until I find a way. Is that...ok?"

He didn't want that, he didn't want Asuna or Lisbeth thinking that they in some way owed him. But… Asuna's face, the expression she currently held as she stated how she wanted to repay him. As she stated how important it was to her that she repaid him. It told him all he needed to know, there wouldn't be any refusing on his part; she was committed to repaying what she saw as a debt and who was he to dismiss someone with such a strong belief. Rather, he should hold admiration for such admirable actions. Especially for those that he didn't believe in himself.

"Ok. You win the three of us will party up. But! Only until you've found a way of repaying me. Deal?"

"Deal." Asuna agreed as a broad smile filled her face and she extended her hand to Kirito, a hand which he shook in agreement of their new deal. Feeling slightly embarrassed at being the reason for her change in expression Kirito's lips faltered slightly. He wasn't used to being on such close terms with other people and the fact that Asuna was who she was made it doubly difficult. But whether it was because he was in a virtual avatar or that some of Klein's personality had rubbed off on him he found he couldn't turn away. Instead looking straight into Asuna's hazel eyes that were often hidden from view.

Growing impatient at the improto staring contest the two of them had begun Lisebth coughed to make her presence known, hoping they would get moving before they wasted away anymore of their day.

Jumping back in surprise Kirito let go of Asuna's hand.

"Y-yes, sorry we should-" He started mumbling but stopped when he turned to see Lisbeth's expression.

"It's great you two are so close now but can I ask a question as well?"

"Yes of course. That's not a problem."

Suspicious of his oddly robotic response Lisbeth looked doubtfully at him before delivering her question.

"Why exactly are we here? We've got the intel so why not head back out. I thought you wanted to be there for the boss fight."

"Ah well," Kirito mumbled as he tried to think of the best way to answer her. "If the three of us are going to be paired up then I thought we should probably start by getting some better equipment. I don't know about the two of you, but I haven't been back here since… well, since the start I guess and weapons don't last forever."

"I see, my mace and shield are still good but Asuna's been switching out weapons all week."

"Makes sense, it's a bit too early to be looking for a weapon to keep anyway. Especially if you haven't found a weapon you're comfortable with yet. But if that's all we're after then I guess any shop will do, they all sell similar stuff anyway."

Nodding in agreement of Kirito's assessment Asuna and Lisbeth watched as he turned to look back out of the alley and onto the main street. Like others of a similar time period the town of beginnings played host to a wide selection of shops and stalls selling all manner of different goods. The complete opposite to the few much larger and more diverse shops that dominated the markets of today. From weapons, clothes, food and even potions there were an unimaginable number of different items and trinkets on sale, players often remarked how overwhelming it felt when first trying to navigate the western half of the tightly packed street.

Leaving the quiet respite of the alleyway behind the three players began browsing the items on offer, Kirito and Asuna searching for a weapons stall that stocked what they were looking for at a decent price and Lisbeth for anything that took her fancy. Slowly managing to push their way through the building crowd of players as the day's trading begun to heat up they happened upon a particular weapon stall. It's front tables were lined with swords, axes and maces of all shapes and sizes, while the wooden supporting wall to the back displayed a selection of larger weapons and a number of shields. Strictly speaking all of the weapons and equipment on display were just that, display pieces. The actual content of a shop could be drastically different from those on show, the only real way of knowing what was really on offer was to talk with the shopkeeper.

After exchanging a glance of agreement at their unified interest the three of them entered the shops dialog. On the search for such common weapons Asuna and Kirito were quickly able to find what they were looking for. However for Lisbeth things were not so simple, unlike the other two she hadn't been switching out weapons. But had instead been upgrading her existing ones. With the aim of drawing and holding the enemy's attention while Asuna dealt the bulk of the damage she had no need for a powerful mace. As such, the only real worthwhile upgrade she could get would be to do with her shield. Mulling over whether or not such an investment would be wise, she decided to get input from who would be most affected by such a decision.

"Hey Asuna, what do you think about me getting this shield instead?"

Making himself look busy so as to not disturb them Kirito continued to scroll through the list of weapons on offer as he snuck a glance at the two girls, who were now debating the benefits and detriments of Lisbeth getting a larger shield. Their actions once again reminded him how close the two of them were, almost as if they were longtime friends out shopping together. The scene resulted in an involuntary smile on his part as he thought about how despite the overarching fear of their situation, some people were still able to develop friendships. Realizing that he was staring quiet openingly at them he quickly averted his gaze, returning his focus back to the shops menu.

With his focus back on the weapons on offer his thoughts turned to how Asuna and Lisbeth had fought during the journey back. Having such a large group meant that by and large most mobs chose not to engage them, though there were a few willing to test the odds. While Lisbeth had seemingly fallen into a routine with her mace and shield, Asuna had looked apprehensive and sluggish with her sword. Of course this was hardly surprising given their current situation, next to none of the players had had any prior knowledge or training in weapons combat; not counting beta testers of course. But even then their experience was still lacking at best.

 _She doesn't seem like she's easily scared in a fight, maybe it's something to do with her weapon._

He had seen it enough times in the beta to know when a player just wasn't using the right weapon for them. Guessing that this was what was happening to Asuna and remembering her movements from before Kirito quickly tapped his way through the menus, eventually finding something fitting of his criteria and making the purchase. If his assumptions were correct then he may have just the thing to help her. Having brought everything he wanted, he closed the shop window before turning to face the girls.

"You two need more time? Or we good to move to a different shop?" He questioned, his words pulling the two girls from their conversation and placing their gaze upon him.

Manipulating the menu that had been in front of her Lisbeth pressed the confirmation button before closing it and giving her answer. "Yep, We're all good."

"Right, there's a few other things I need to stock up on so let's get going."

For the next hour the three of them continued to make their way through the market, looking at the goods on offer and purchasing whatever they needed. Asuna and Lisbeth also took the opportunity to ask Kirito for his thoughts on certain items, his expertise being something they didn't have before. Turns out that having a former beta tester in your party helped give you the edge when knowing what and what not to buy.

* * *

Having stocked up on items and equipment it was time for Kirito to move onto the second phase of his plan. If the three of them were to continue travelling together as it now seemed they would do, then at the very least he wanted to get a better idea as to their overall combat abilities beyond what he had witnessed during their journey back. Other than completing quests together it was likely the three of them would be present during the first attempt to beat this floors boss, assuming of course that Asuna hadn't found a way to repay him before that. In light of this he had taken the time to seek out a relatively easy quest that the three of them could work together to complete. Not only would this serve as a way for them to get more comfortable with each others company, but it would also give him the best chance of gauging their abilities.

The quest itself was a simple fetch quest. Go somewhere, collect and item and bring it back to the quest giver. Though despite its simple outward appearance the reward for said quest was anything but. The **[Annal Blade]** , famed for its simple acquisition requirements it provided the first real upgrade in the game to potential sword users who had out levelled their starter weapons. Its general bump in overall stats, combined with the ability to apply an additional upgrade beyond the normal limit for weapons of a similar type made it the perfect replacement. Not to mention that it's advantages over other weapons also meant that it could continue to be used right up until the end of the third floor.

Pulling him from his musings NPC's voice rang out in the silence. The old lady had a quiet tone and a slight hardness to her voice, both of which were presumably a result of her age. Reciting the preprogrammed lines of her dialogue she proceeded to recall her sob story, an action that added more context and flavour to the otherwise boring fetch quest.

"She's been like this for days now, I would go and get the herbs myself but I don't want to leave her alone. Would you be willing to help, traveler?"

She asked as the quest window appeared in front of Kirito, prompting him to either accept or decline the quest to retrieve herbs for the NPC. Quickly exchanging a glance with Asuna and Lisbeth to check that the girls were still on board and receiving affirming nods in response, he hit the accept quest button.

"Thank you, thank you! You don't know how much this means to me!" The old lady sang out as she encompassed Kirito's outstretched hand with both of her own, a sincere smile of gratitude on her face as she shook his hand. "You'll find the herbs growing around a small pond in the woods behind our house." She continued as she removed her hands and pointed out of the rear facing window of the small hut they were in. Indicating the woods she was referring to.

Turning back to face Kirito she put on a desperate, almost pleading look. "Please hurry, it has already been too long and I don't know how much longer my granddaughter will be able to last without the herbs."

Assuring her that they would do everything they could to help, the three of them stepped out of the small hut and were once again greeted by cooler temperature of the open air. Walking a few meters away from the wooden building Kirito turned back, facing both Asuna and Lisbeth.

"You know I think Argo might have been right after all." Lisbeth said as they exited the hut, her words causing Kirito to look at her with a confused expression. "Seems you really do need to help everyone."

Slightly annoyed at being summed up so easily Kirito retorted. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing, nothing. Just keeping it in mind for the future. If I've ever got a problem I'll be sure to ask you first." She said with a teasing smile. A smile that Kirito replied to by huffing in annoyance, as once again Argo had caused him more trouble.

"Umm guys. Shouldn't we get moving already?"

"Yep let's go." Lisbeth said as she indicated for her friend to take a step forward. Walking past a stumped Kirito in the process and feeling victorious after their verbal spat. _Argo was right, he really is too fun to tease._

Falling into a silent rhythm behind the two Kirito watched as they once again spoke among themselves as he wondered if this was going to become the norm. Though whether that was a good or a bad thing he wasn't sure. _Guess I'll just wait and see._ Honestly they still barely knew each other and If he was asked to describe them he was pretty sure he would come up empty. But hopefully this quest would change that, the fact that it was now just the three of them providing the perfect opportunity. Having lost track of time thanks to being occupied by his own thoughts Kirito was surprised to look up and see that where before trees had surrounded them completely, there was now a large well lit clearing ahead. At the centre sat a small pool of water with a slight green tint as the surrounding foliage reflected upon it. The lonesome pond appeared to be the product of a rock face which hugged the rear edge, a small trickle of water making its way down from an unknown source as it cascaded into the pond below. As if trying to add to the _natural retreat_ look, the rock face was also dotted with sporadic patches of moss that clung to the damp stone. While reeds sprouted along the shallow banks of the pond, helping to obscure the edge. In what was more likely evidence of how large a game Sword Art Online was, rather than a low amount of effort on the part of the developers. it was easy to tell that this area had been given more than the average development time afford to most other areas of the map, not least of which was the fact that the trees had been arranged in such a way as to let rays of light cascade onto the center of the pond at an angle; adding an almost mystical feel to the area.

Though they could no longer see the cabin from whence they came, owing in no small part to the dense forest to their rear. It was clear that this compact, well made clearing was where they were meant to search.

"This should be it right?" Asuna questioned as she looked around the area.

Having been the one to take on the quest Kirito spoke up. "Yeah this should be it, there should be-" before stopping to rethink his words. "The quest says they grow near water's edge. So maybe within those reeds?"

Heeding his words the three of them got to work looking through the reeds, searching for anything that was out of the ordinary. Having completed the quest during his time in the beta Kirito made a beeline for where he had found the herbs previously. However, as he had now come to expect the location of the much needed herbs had been changed. It was beginning to become something of a trend, old places and functions mostly the same; but with a slight difference when compared to the beta. _I should really talk to Argo about this, maybe she knows something I don't_. He thought idly, it wasn't uncommon for some things to be different between a games beta and it's final release. But the level of change on display was beginning to cause concern. Especially considering SAO was far from the norm when referring to other such games.

"Ah, I think I've got it." Asuna called out as Kirito was once more pulled from his thoughts.

Looking in her direction he could just see the top of a caped figure, barely visible above the heavily overgrown area she was kneeling down in. Having touched the small plant to check if it was the herb they were looking and subsequently being greeted with a small notification window informing her that indeed, it was. She took hold of the small plant with her hand dominant hand and attempted to uproot it from its home. Sword Art Online had no such harvesting tools so a more direct method was the only option. However, despite its small size Asuna soon found that it wanted to put up more of a fight than its size would have suggested.

Walking over to where Asuna was kneeling down Lisbeth and Kirito pushed their way through the shrubbery before coming up behind her. From their position they watched as her back swayed from side to side from the force she was having to use on the small plant. Her attempts to collect it proving more difficult than she had expected.

"Are you sure we weren't meant to have a tool or something?"

Keeping his eye on Asuna to see if she was at anypoint successful Kirito gave an answer to Lisbeth's question. "The quest didn't say anything about and tool and as far as I know there's nothing like that in SAO. I'd guess Asuna's doing it the way it's meant to be done."

"Yeah? Well it sure doesn't... Feel like it." Asuna complained as she struggled to talk whilst pulling on the stubborn plant.

"I see." Lisbeth nodded as she turned back to watch her companion struggle on the floor. Unable to let her teasing nature pass up the opportunity she made the most of the situation.

"You having a bit of trouble there?"

"It's… fine." Asuna grunted in response and moved such that she could use both hands to pull the stubborn plant from its home in the soil. "I've got… thi-"

Making the most of the leverage afforded to her by her position and the stronger grip from using both hands she pulled one last time and to her surprise, successfully uprooted the small plant from the confines of the earth. However not expecting it to actually come free having so much trouble before, she found herself losing her already precarious balance and falling backwards as Newton's third law took effect. The result being her head and upper back coming to rest against Kirito's legs and a rather embarrassed look adorning her face.

"Yep, you got it alright."

At Kirito's words Asuna's expression changed from embarrassment to annoyance. Annoyance that she was being made fun of for falling backwards as a result of her rather direct method to precure the herb. Raising her hand in response, which was still holding the plant she had gone through so much trouble to get. Asuna looked, or rather glared at the small leafy specimen. How could something so small have given her so much trouble? Holding it up against the light of the midday sun she could see the few roots that were still attached were thin and almost translucent. With such small and weak looking roots holding it in place it shouldn't have been that hard to pull out, right? Confused by what she was seeing Asuna looked to the place where she had retrieved it, a small indentation now lay in the ground where the herby plant had once grown. Even that looked ordinary enough and so gave her no answer to her questions, _but then why had it been so_ …

They could see the movement of the ground before they could hear its accompanying sounds, a few specks of dirt from around the hole Asuna had created beginning to shift and jump about as the ground beneath it shook. Showing no signs of stopping or dying down the shaking continued as the once small hole grew deeper and more of the surrounding dirt was pulled in. Replacing the dirt as it fell in, a large spherical mass began to push its way out of the once small hole and before long it raised itself above the surface. Covered in dirt and soil that had clung to it during its accent the makeshift mask began to fall away as it revealed its true appearance. That being a tangled mass of hardened roots and dead foliage intertwining with each other as they formed a ball like structure. Protruding out from its center, groups of roots twisted together to form numerous arm and leg like appendages.

Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of an enemy in the middle of what had been such a tranquil retreat moments before. The three of them scrambled to get away, Lisbeth jumping back through the bushes as she rushed to get herself ready for combat. While Kirito and Asuna also attempted to retreat, trying to put some distance between themselves and their enemy so they could participate in defeating it.

"Wah!"

Though with all the grace of a one legged kangaroo Kirito tried and subsequently failed to jump back from the mob, instead falling onto the hard ground as his legs remained trapped under Asuna. Something which he had forgotten about in his rush to put some distance between himself and their enemy. Unaware as to what was going on behind her, the panic induced from the sudden appearance of an enemy not withstanding. Asuna also scurried about in an attempt to get away from the creature, choosing to take the more direct root of crawling along the ground and gaining some distance between them before pushing herself up. But, rather than turning and finding an open path, she instead found a bewildered Kirito lying on the floor. Unable to stop her momentum Asuna's hand gave way under the uneven ground that was Kirito's leg as her head came crashing into the boys chest, her hair spilling out from under her hood and her face sitting closer to his than it had ever done so before.

If it weren't for the threat looming behind the two of them then they could have perhaps taken a moment to be embarrassed, maybe even put on a shy face towards their counterpart. Stopping this however, was the fact that from his position below Asuna Kirito could see that the monster's tentacle like roots had begun lifting up; preparing to launch an attack on the two of them. Acting before he had any time to explain, Kirito took hold of a now equally bewildered Asuna above him and placing his hands on either side of her; rolled the two of them over. Not a second later a mass of tangled roots came crashing down next to them, kicking up a small amount of dust and dirt as it did so.

Having made their narrow escape the two of them quickly scrambled to their feet, their enemies confusion at not finding its target working to their advantage as they jumped back to join Lisbeth. With their weapons drawn the three of them spread out to surround their target. This wasn't how Kirito had planned to observe the two of them but as was tradition, nothing ever went as planned.

Having such an array of twisted roots available to it as a means of attack the monster lashed out at the three players, who in turn deflected each of them. Kirito and Asuna parrying the attack using their swords while Lisbeth blocked it head on using her shield, the force behind it pushing her back slightly. The attack themselves weren't all that quick, the number of roots that it was simultaneously controlling likely the reason why. Despite this it still had enough speed behind it that a player couldn't easily find the chance to attack. Making the most of a break in the mob's constant assault Kirito snuck a glance towards Asuna and Lisbeth. As he had expected they were both stuck defending in much the same way he was, but something he hadn't been expecting was how well the both of them were dealing with their enemies attacks. A case could be made for Lisbeth who was utilizing a shield and thus had an easier time of it, but the same couldn't be said for Asuna. Who despite having no knowledge when it came to games and no previous experience wielding a weapon -at least none he was aware of- was able to avoid the brunt of the damage and looked to be dealing with the attacks just fine. Perhaps he had been misplaced in his assumptions.

Apparently catching on to his lack of attention the mass of roots with no name released a second round of attacks, pulling Kirito once more from his thoughts. They may have been slow and cumbersome, but they were still numerous enough to keep the three of them occupied and prevent them from launching their own offensive. Understanding that unless they had a change of tactics then they were going to be stuck defending until the end of time, Kirito formulated a plan to give them a few moments grace.

"Hey, Liz! We need to regroup, me and Asuna will fall back behind you and when we do, set off an agro skill to keep it busy."

"You go it! Just tell me when."

"Ok, on the count of 3." Deflecting once last attack, Kirito sent a quick glance towards Asuna to see if she was prepared. Receiving a small nod in return as she too parried one last attack, he put the first part of their plan into action.

"1...2… 3!"

Shouting out the signal for her to do so Lisbeth released the shield skill she had lined up. As if by magic each one of the mobs flailing appendages froze still, only to then be pulled back inwards towards its core. Having enough knowledge of attack patterns to recognize that this was preparation for an attack lisbeth steeled herself, hiding as much of her body as she could behind her shield. An act that paid its dues as the mob she had now garnied the full attention of released an all out assault against her. With their enemy preoccupied Kirito and Asuna moved, retreating to a position behind their tank and taking a moment to formulate a proper plan of attack.

"Have you ever fought one of these before?" Asuna asked, her breath slightly ragged from having to parry the enemies attacks.

"No, they didn't have them in the-" He began to say, but stopped when he realized what he was about to say. "I haven't fought them before no, but more importantly. My swords not dealing any damage."

"Mine's not either. What do we do?"

Turning back towards their enemy in thought Kirito once again took note of its form. A mass of old roots twisted and intertwined, forming the bulk of its body; while others warped together to form the addenges which it used for attacking and maneuvering. Looking closer at its body a faint, yellow glow could be seen emanating from the mostly black center that he hadn't noticed before. Beyond that the creature- for lack of a better term, had no recognisable features that would constitute a face and so looked much the same from all angles.

Having now noticed the glow in its center Kirito took an experimental step forward; walking past Lisbeth and her shield. Much to said players dismay.

"What are you doing!?" She shouted as their enemy continued to lay attack after attack on her shield. Each one sounding out as it hit across the crafted metalwork.

"I just want to try something, give me a second."

Continuing to move forward while putting some distance between himself and the girls Kirito took a firmer grip on his sword, before raising it to sit level with his eyes. If his prediction was correct then they were going to have a tough time taking down this particular enemy. Hovering next to his face the sword began to glow a faint blue colour, the colour darkening as the skill he had loaded grew closer and closer to activating. Waiting until the last moment he released the skill, kicking off the ground and spearheading with the point of his weapon. Thanks in no small part to the speed given to him by the skill Kirito shot pass his enemy's offhand attempts to attack him and pushed his sword into its body; the blade sinking a couple of inches past the mass of roots and landing within.

As he had hoped the enemy cried out in pain though an unseen mouth, its health dropping moments later as Kirito's attack successfully connected. Smirking at his own success he quickly pulled his sword from the enemy before jumping back, narrowly avoiding the thrashing attacks of his aggressor as he did so. Continuing to jump back he returned to his original position, allowing Lisbeth to once again keep their enemy occupied with her shield while Kirito explained himself.

"What the hell was the point in that?" Lisbeth questioned, struggling to keep her shield up and growing impatient at their lack of a solid plan.

"I was right." He answered.

"What do you mean you were right?" Asuna asked, not following his train of thought.

"Earlier on when we were defending, we weren't dealing any damage. Even if neither of us were activating sword skills we should have at least been able to shave off a couple of hit points here and there by defending, but we didn't."

Looking at their enemies health bar to confirm his words, Asuna found that he was indeed correct. Very little damage had been dealt and the bar was still mostly full. What damage had been done must have come from hit he had just landed, rather than from when they were defending.

"That's gre- great and all… But do you think we can hurry this up!?" Lisbeth cried out, her mace nowhere to be seen and both arms now working to keep her shield raised against their enemy.

Wanting to jump back in and help her friend Asuna stopped before looking to Kirito. If they were to jump back into the fight now then the results would be the same, they'd be stuck defending against an enemy they could not damage.

"So, what's the plan. I'm guessing you do have a plan, right?" She asked with a growing sense of urgency.

"Of course I do, it's just-" Once more cut off before he could finish his sentence, a scream pulled the two of them from their conversation and drew their attention in the direction of Lisbeth. Having waited long enough and seemingly grown impatient, their foe had decided that the tank in front of it needed to be dealt with and so had begun launching some sort of a sword skill- _root skill?_ Whatever it was, the attack landed directly on Lisbeth's shield and in doing so had knocked her clean off her feet, the force behind it much greater than those before.

"Shit, quick open up a trade window!"

"Eh?"

Moving quicker than Asuna was able to follow Kirito opened his in game menu and manipulated the screen with a practiced ease. After clicking through a number of windows a similar, but smaller one appeared in front of Asuna, asking if she would accept the trade offer. Bewildered as to what was happening and how she was meant to react her body moved almost subconsciously as she clicked the accept button. Not having anymore time to explain himself Kirito turned towards their enemy, who was now moving in their direction; root like tendrils on full display. Having completed the required setup for his plan to take effect he kicked off the ground, dropping into a run as he moved to front up against the creature, while also bringing his sword up in a vertical motion. Connecting with one of the roots as it floated around the main body his sword deflected it away, causing it to pummel the ground and kick up a small amount of dust and dirt. Distracted by this new aggressor the mob turned in a way that allowed it to focus fully on him and in doing so giving Lisbeth a moment to collect herself and retreat.

Backing away from the creature whilst making sure to keep it in view Lisbeth manipulated her menus and retrieved a health potion. Breaking the seal on top she downed it quickly. "What'd he give you?" She questioned while continuing to drink her potion. Looking at her friend she tried to discern what Kirito could have gone through the trouble of giving her which would turn the tide of this battle, but for the life of her she couldn't think of anything. A confusion which wasn't helped by Asuna remaining weirdly cryptic.

"This… this is..."

Growing more impatient at being left out Lisbeth once again pushed her friend for an answer.

"What? What'd give you?"

"I think…" Asuna replied slowly as she equiped the item Kirito had traded to her. "I think we have a way to beat it."

As a swordsman by trade keeping the enemy at bay was proving more difficult for Kirito than he had expected. Sure, he could rather easily parry enemy attacks and dodging wasn't much of an issue when those attacks were as slow as these ones were. But, when those attacks weren't just slow, but also numerous and constant then any player barring a shield user would have struggled. Nethertheless he continued his defense, his blade shooting vertically to deflect an incoming attack as another lapped at his undefended side. In response he brought the blade down, putting a shallow cut in the two tendrils as they shot out to try and pierce his chest. This wasn't something he could keep up for long, but a quick glance over to his companions showed him that he wouldn't need to.

"Liz, switch!"

He called out, another assault from their enemy accompanying his voice. Only this time rather than defending against it, Kirito jumped back; Allowing their now healed, if somewhat annoyed - _Her apparent new nickname notwithstanding-_ tank, to once again take her place. Falling back to stand alongside their remaining member Kirito couldn't help but smile as he saw her face, an expression displayed on it which told him all he needed to know.

"You ready?" He asked. To which Asuna responded by giving him a look full of confidence, a look which also told him she knew exactly what he meant.

He'd had a number of different options to choose from whilst browsing the weapons on offer and any one of them could have been the one she was most comfortable with. But, in the end it looked like none of that mattered. Kicking off the ground and flying through the air like an arrow released from a bow, Asuna launched herself at her enemy.

"Switch!" She called out as she proceeded to whiz past a bewildered Lisbeth.

"Eh!?"

Whether it was the fact that this particular enemy was weak to piercing damage, a strong point of Asuna's new weapon. Or that she was more accustomed to her new weapon than he first thought. It didn't matter. Now, with her new weapon -a rapier- in hand, it didn't stand a chance.

* * *

In what felt like the blink of an eye three weeks passed and slowly, while still apprehensive players began to fall into routine, coming to terms with the fact that the only way to escape this world was to reach the final boss, and so, that's just what they set about doing. Most of them at least. For some, they still couldn't bring themselves to head out into the fields, fearful of what may or may not happen and choosing instead to remain within the safety of town; all the while using up what precious little col they had left.

Resonating more with those players who wanted to escape and were working to do so. Kirito himself set about getting to grips with his new virtual life. A life that he soon found wasn't as lonesome as his real one, thanks in no small part to his pair of companions whom, despite his trying to remain somewhat distant had begun to grow on him. He had consciously chosen to be a solo player for as long as he could remember, it gave him a great deal more flexibility; while also having the added bonus of not needing to worry about others. But now, traveling with two companions as he was. Perhaps his views on such an arrangement were beginning to change.

Following the successful completion of the _simple_ herb gathering quest and Kirito subsequently getting his hands on the **[Annal Blade]** , the three of them returned to the town of beginnings. Arriving late into the afternoon and tired from their full day of work they set about securing a place to stay, unfortunately for them most of the well placed inn's were fully booked. Which in hindsight was something they probably should have expected. However, they were in luck, for earlier in the day they had met just the person to help them, a person for who the job of finding a free inn was a trivial task. One message and a small amount of col later and the three of them were able to secure rooms in a serviceable, if a little run down inn hidden amongst the back streets. From then on the three spent the next couple of weeks almost entirely together, deciding what they should do on any given day based on a rolling quota and trying their hardest to keep their levels up when compared to the rest of the player base.

A little over a week after they returned Kirito was making his way once again through the lively market district of the town of beginnings. Asuna and Lisbeth had said there was something they wanted to do and thus, he had been left to his own devices for what felt like the first time in ages. Deciding that the best way to start off his solo day would be to once more stock up on supplies, he had made his way to the west side of town. Being part of a group may have had many benefits, but one downside was that they were almost always on the go; leaving little time for him to restock on positions and the like, his secret night time grinding not helping his situation. _Once a gamer, always a gamer._ He'd always told himself, a pretty bad excuse but honestly, he just wanted to be at the top of the player base and the only way to do that would be by grinding extra levels whenever he could.

Continuing to shuffle through the quickly crowding early morning market, he was browsing the goods that each of the individual stalls had on offer when all of a sudden, a cloaked figure caught his eye. Sitting slumped over on a high wooden stall and leaning across _hole in the wall_ bar's counter, the figure looked completely unrecognizable from the back. Their thick brown cloak masking the players build as it reached well past their feet and pooled on the floor below. If this were the only notable thing about them then Kirito had no doubt he would have passed them by. But their voice which could barely be heard over the shouts and jeers of the market was what caught his attention. A voice he had come to know quite well during their first week.

"Klein?" He asked as he moved to occupy the seat next to the player he had once partied with.

Turning to see who had called his name Klein's was shocked to see Kirito sitting next to him. As things were he wasn't expecting to be recognized by anyone, so the appearance of Kirito came as a rather large surprise.

"Kirito? How'd you..."

"Let's just say that even if you don't stand out, your voice definitely does." He replied before making eye contact with the bar's owner and ordering a drink for himself.

"I see... " Klein replied, his tone having a hint of sadness to it. Choosing to drown out his thoughts he proceeded to take another swig of his own drink, and cursed the fact that there wasn't any actual alcohol in Aincrad; at least nothing strong enough to affect him as it did in real life.

Thanking the owner for his drink and taking a small amount of the liquidy substance into his mouth, Kirito admired the odd taste; it wasn't a drink he'd had before and so was pleasantly surprised to find it had a pleasing taste. "So, what happened?" He asked as he held his ceramic cup over the wooden bar counter, moving it in a circular motion and causing the drink inside to swirl. "I know we didn't exchange any info of anything, but I figured you'd probably come find us on the day we split." Even if they hadn't made concrete plans to meet up again -the fact that Klein all but ran away as soon as they made it back notwithstanding- Kirito was sure that if he wanted to find him again, Klein would easily be able to do so.

With his head hung low in a way that caused the hood of his cloak to completely obscure his face, Klein gave his answer. "I… I did something stupid. And I guess now- now I'm paying for it." He admitted, his hands keeping hold of his drink and clasping it in a way that made him wish it would take all of his problems away.

Stretching back in his seat and looking up towards the sky, Kirito observed the blue backdrop of the next floor's underside, his mind rapidly beginning to put two and two together as he listened to Klein talk. He had a pretty good idea of what had gone down, even if Klein hadn't gone into detail. But, knowing was only half the battle; the other half was figuring out how to deal with it.

"This doing something stupid," He started, before taking another sip of the drink he had ordered and letting the cool liquid cool his head. "It wouldn't have anything to do with you wearing the **[heavy cloak]** , would it?"

Hearing Kirito say the items name caused Klein's body to unintentionally jerk, forcing him up and out of his seat, an action that resulted in him knocking over his drink and spilling what little liquid it had left. _How'd he…_ He questioned, but murmurs and voices behind quickly pulled him out of his thoughts. He'd been trying not to draw attention to himself, to lay low and blend in but now he was doing the complete opposite. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts and help recover his composure, Klein settled back into his seat while Kirito used the opportunity to flag down the owner and order him a replacement. He hadn't expected anyone to know anything about his current attire; much less to know its name.

Thanking the owner as he came over a placed a new drink in front of him, Klein took hold of the ceramic cup and downed some of the liquid. For sure Kirito's words had come as a surprise, but thinking on it further; they really shouldn't have. Given his history it made a lot of sense that Kirito knew the name of this particular piece of equipment. He had after all, been a beta tester. And, with its ability to hide a player's cursor, it had probably been a favourite amongst them.

Sitting once more with his head held down, only this time over his new drink in hand he confessed to Kirito. "I really thought I could help, you know? I thought I'd be able to do something, make everything right and no one else would… would... " He struggled to finish, instead beginning to choke up on his words as his memories of that time played back as vividly the day they happened. "But I couldn't. I couldn't do anything."

Letting his words hang in the air for a few moments Klein finished off the rest of his drink, the small ceramic cup seemingly holding a lot less liquid than he thought it did; and much less than he would have liked.

"People just… didn't want to listen, they wouldn't listen, and so I ended up with this." Illustrating his point Klein pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing his flame red hair and, as Kirito had predicted; an orange player cursor. Pulling his hood back into place quickly to prevent people seeing his cursor, Klein waited to hear Kirito's reaction. Perhaps if he hadn't come to know SAO as well as he did or if he didn't have the knowledge of a beta tester, then maybe, just maybe Kirito would have been surprised at the colour of Klein's cursor. An orange cursor after all, was meant to serve as a warning to others about a given players misdeeds. But, luckily for Klein; he did know. He knew what each of the different colours meant, as well as what could trigger them. Meaning that actually, despite what it was meant to indicate, Kirito felt just as safe with him as he had done at the start of the first week. But that didn't matter now, what did matter now was what had caused Klein to end up in this situation in the first place; something which after thinking on it could only have been caused by one thing. The anti-harassment system.

Designed to keep players safe in a world that positioned itself as an imitation of real life, its main aim was to prevent unwanted contact. If contact between two players was made and they were neither in a party together nor on each other friends list then an info window would appear, asking if the given player would like to activate the anti-harassment system. In the event they did, then the player initiating contact would instantly be teleported to the prison and given an orange player cursor. Indicating that they had done something improper. Generally given in cases where the offense wasn't too severe, the cursor would remain orange for a period ranging from a few days to a few weeks; depending on what had caused them to get the cursor change in the first place. By comparison there was also the red player cursor, reserved for those who had done something warranting a second orange cursor whilst still under the effects of their first one, or in more severe cases; like player killing.

"I see." Kirito mused, before taking a sip of his drink and debating what to say in response. There'd been a number of times over the past couple of weeks where he'd expected the anti-harassment system to kick in, only for it not to. It was something which he'd spoken with Argo about after noticing it and, according to her; he wasn't the only one. For whatever reason the system didn't always activate when it should have done and, while it wasn't often enough for most people to call it out; a select few had begun to take note. Unfortunately for Klein it would seem that he was part of the group for which it did activate, thus landing him in such a position.

Removing his gaze from his dwindling drink Kirito turned to look at Klein, his demeanor alone telling him how much this ordeal had affected him. The idea that Klein had acted to help, or possible even save someone; only to then by ostracized by the system for doing so was something Kirito couldn't even imagine. But, it had happened and now Klein's personality had seemingly taken a complete 180 as a result. Gone was his cheerful tone, gone was his outlandish demeanor and, gone was his drive to continue. Though they had only been together for a short while in the grand scheme of things, Kirito felt as though he had come to get a good grip on the type of person Klein was. That being a people person, someone who needed to be surrounded by others and thrived off of the atmosphere it brought with it.

Releasing a sigh in preparation Kirito downed the rest of his drink, the cool liquid warming his throat as he prepared to talk.

"You know." He began, his words pulling Klein up from the counter and grabbing his attention. "You did the right thing… Even if the system doesn't believe it, I do. You went out and tried to help someone, that's something I could never do. But you did, and for that you should have more pride."

Handing the cup back to the bar's owner who by this point had noticed it was empty, Kirito moved his hands to deal with the payment window before standing. Turning head on to face Klein, Kirito spoke again.

"In about two weeks time there's going to be a meeting in the theater just outside town."

At the sudden change of subject Klein's ears perked up, intrigued by what this supposed ' _meeting'_ had to do with him.

"No doubt it's going to be about the first boss and organizing a raid. Assuming you probably got your cursor sometime last week, it should return to normal by then; so. Come to the meeting, participate in the raid and help us clear the first boss."

"But I can't… I"

Putting on a dissatisfied expression in response to Klein's answer, Kirito spoke with a confidence Klein hadn't seen before. "If you really insist on helping others, then you can start by helping us beat the first boss. It might not be as direct as you'd like, but I can promise you that people hearing the first boss has been defeated will be a million times more effective than you running around and trying to grab hold of them."

"Kirito, you-" Klein stuttered as he showed a shocked expression, both at his apparent knowledge of what had landed him in his precarious position and how sincere his words sounded.

"Stop. I don't want to hear it. You're not like this, it isn't who you are. So, head back to your friends, level up as much as you can and then. Come to the meeting, you're meant to be a leader; so make sure you act like one."

Clenching his fist in a way which he hoped would help instill some resolve Klein, for what must have been the first time sense their reunion truly looked at Kirito; his expression now resembling that of his old self. Kirito was right of course, he knew he was right. After the incident, Klein had gone as far as to run from his friends and, were the same thing to have happened in real life he was sure he wouldn't have done so.

"Thanks Kirito. I guess that means I owe you one, again." He said before opening his hand and holding it in the air, waiting for Kirito to meet it. Sounding out an audible clap among the crowd as their hands met, the two of them shared a happy expression; both of them having come out better after their talk and their slowly growing friendship strengthened.

* * *

"I wanted to start by thanking you all for coming here. I'm sure many of you are wondering why this meeting has been called when there are so many other important things we should be doing, but. I'll get to that in a moment."

In response to the blue haired man's words mummers broke out around the crumbling amphitheatre, people questioning who this supposed spokesperson was and as he had pointed out himself; why this meeting had even been organized in the first place.

"Firstly there's something I need to make clear, my name is Diavel and- I… am a former beta tester."

In response to Diavel's confession many of the players displayed expressions of shock and surprise, while an audible gasp rang out. Over the past month, the general consensus was that their present situation was almost entirely the fault of the beta testers, they'd played the game prior to its full release and should have spoken up about the possibility of Kayaba taking control. To many players there was simply no chance that the beta testers couldn't have known this would happen, leading to some believing they were in fact in league with Kayaba and, by extension enemies of the player base. This fear was also not helped by the overall lack of communication between former beta testers and the player base at large. After all, they knew the best hunting spots, they knew the easy quests to take and they knew the best way to get a head start in the game. In an ideal scenario this information should have been shared and propagated throughout Aincrad's inhabitants. But a fear for the unknown on both sides lead to the situation which they now found themselves in, a situation which Diavel was apparently trying to remedy.

"Everyone please! I know how you feel but, if we want to make it out of this alive we can't continue to have this. Us versus them mentality."

"Of course you'd say that, you're a beta tester!" One of the players in the crowd shouted

"Yeah, it's because of you lot that we're in this mess to begin with!" In agreement with the players statement, cheers from others sounded out.

Frowning slightly at their response Diavel continued, he had expected there to be some discontent among the players present; but not this much.

"I understand that, I do. But there was no indication during the beta that Kayaba would do such a thing and even if there were, we could have in no way prevented this."

Though he had hoped to placate their worries and try to bridge the gap between the two groups, it was looking as though it would be more difficult to convince them than he had hoped. A point that was reinforced when one of the players he was trying to placate; a short man with brown spikey hair and a mean demeanor about him stood up and began walking down the theater's steps.

"If you lot are as innocent as you're making yourself out to be, then why when the game began did all you beta testers run off? Did you stay behind to help us learn the game? Did you tell us the best way to earn XP or to gain col? No, you didn't."

Taking a final step forward Kibaou moved off the steps of the theater and stood face to face with diavel.

"You lot could have stayed and helped but instead you ran off to make sure you got a head start. To make sure that when it came to surviving, you would be at the top of the food chain."

* * *

"This isn't going to end well." A much reinvigorated Klein spoke as he observed the events unfolding before him.

"He shouldn't have outed himself to begin with."

Having been one of the few groups of players to keep quiet while events transpired in front of them, Klein and Kirito could no longer hold their tongues.

"True, but it's not like he had much of a choice. Either we work together or there's going to be a serious death toll for the first boss."

Confused by what the two were saying Asuna nudged Lisbeth who, had been quietly sitting next to her and watching the blue haired player give his speech; while also taking the opportunity to listen in on Kirito and Klein's conversation. Lisbeth may not have been as much of an avid gamer as Kirito and Klein clearly were, but she did at least have more knowledge in that regard when compared to Asuna. As a result of this Asuna deduced that she may be able to shed some light on why it was so important for them to work with the former beta testers, _do they have something the rest of us don't?_

"Why is it so important to get the beta testers involved?"

Turning away for a moment from Kirito whom she had just snuck an unintentional glance at. Lisbeth faced Asuna and gave her an answer she hoped would satisfy the girls curiosity, her voice equally quiet as to not draw attention to them.

"My guess is it's less about them specifically and more about their information." She began, before stopping for a moment and taking note of a second player -this time with brown hair- moving to join the blue haired one. "They played the game before release, so they got a pretty big headstart when it comes to understanding different parts of SAO. Attack patterns, unique enemy types, the best hunting spots. If we know all of that then there's less chance of us being surprised by an enemy and getting ourselves killed."

Nodding her head in response Asuna seemed satisfied with the answer provided by her friend. Though it did still leave her wondering, _if it was just the information that they needed, why didn't they look for an info broker like us?_ She debated asking Lisbeth this question as well. But considering it had to do with beta testers, a concept she still wasn't 100% on; she decided to keep it to herself. If she was lucky then maybe one of the people talking would give her an answer.

"You're right," The blue haired player began. "We -I, should have stayed in the beginning. We should have helped out when we could, but we didn't and for that all I can say is sorry."

Despite Diavel's clear attempts to apologize, his words took on the opposite effect as his adversity looked about ready to explode, his face turning red with anger as Sword Art Online's facial systems were put on full display. _He's sorry? Hundreds of players are dead because of you, and all you can say is. You're sorry?_ If not for them being within the safety of town Kibaou would have likely unleashed an attack there and then. A fact that Diavel was acutely aware of as he saw Kibaou's face, full of anger.

"I know that's not enough," He spoke, his words carrying his confidence with them. "If I were in your position I would no doubt feel the same, the same anger and resentment. But I am not... and it is because of that, that I called this meeting today." Maneuvering around Kibaou such that he once again faced the entire theater Diavel continued. "Yesterday my party found the boss room."

At such a revelation shock once again filled the theater as talking broke out amongst the players, even Kibou who'd had been fronting up to Diavel just moments ago took a step back at the mention of the boss. To just about everyone present this was the first real news that any progress had been made at all, thus leading to their expressions of shock and surprise.

"With that said I'm here to tell you, tomorrow morning at 10:00am we are going into that boss room and we're going to defeat the first boss." In response to his words more talking broke out amongst the players, causing Diavel to have to shout his next part. "And most importantly," he said, before turning to gadge Kibaou's reaction to his next set of words. "It will be the Beta testers, who lead the charge."

Cheers and shouting broke out as Diavel listened to people react to his words, though he had organized the meeting with the explicit aim of informing people about the boss raid and in an effort to repair the relationship between beta testers and regular players. It would take Diavel well into the night to convince many players that they should at the very least turn up, let alone work together with those they saw as the enemy. One thing was for certain though, Kirito thought as he glanced back at the theater from which players were now beginning to leave, _Tomorrow's either going to make or break us._

* * *

 **This chapter is part of a double release, my author note can be found at the end of chapter 6; '** _ **Illfang, the Kobold Lord**_ ' **.**


	6. Chapter 6: Illfang, the Kobold Lord

Arc: Aincrad

 **The Power of Three VI**

* * *

"This fight will be difficult, it will probably be the hardest that any of us have ever had to face… But, I'm confident that together; we can overcome it and open the path to the next floor. If any of you want to back out now is the time to do it, but remember. It's us who will take down the boss and it's us who will be heralded as heroes."

Looking around the room, faces that had been filled with apprehension and fear the day before, were now full of hope and determination.

"Together we can defeat this boss and together, we will continue to do so on every floor that follows and escape this nightmare!"

Lifting his sword in the air, signaling the end of his speech. Diavel was greeted with resounding cheers as other players followed suite, each lifting their own weapon in unison and releasing battlecries.

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

Well, some of them at least. "So people really do talk like that? I thought it was just a thing they did for commercials." Asuna commented. To which her friend, Lisbeth added.

"I didn't think so myself, but apparently I was wrong."

"Eh. If it gets them riled up and ready for the fight, who cares?" Came Kirito's reply. Truthfully he thought Diavel was going a little over the top, his speech coming across as a bit too grandos for his liking; not to mention the crusade like undertones. But, considering how much he'd struggled convincing people to attend in the first place, perhaps he could be forgiven for laying such a heroic act.

"Yeah but, isn't it embarrassing? I know he's just trying to keep everyone's spirits up, but does he _have_ to make it sound like we're on some sort of holy crusade."

"Nothing gets people more ready for a fight than when they get to play the hero, and that goes double for us gamers."

Turning around to face the person who had just given their insight on the subject Lisbeth displayed a unsurprised expression at who it was. With a view like that, there could have only ever been one.

"Why am I not surprised, you _gamers_ are all the same."

"What can I say. It's just who we are." Klein replied, a honest; yet somewhat teasing smile on his face.

Sighing at being given such an answer Lisbeth turned away, almost as if the conversation had physically exhausted her. If she were going to start putting people in groups, she was sure Klein would no doubt be at the top of the ' _gamers'_ group; if not its leader.

"If you two are quite done, it looks like we're."

Turning their gaze back towards the front of the room, they noticed now that the doors to the boss were open; and players had slowly begun charging in.

"Right, let's wait until after to discuss our greatness."

Klein replied, before giving a mock salute to Kirito and returning to his own party.

Entering the boss room through the large intricately carved stone doors players began to fan out, making sure there was adequate room between each of them, whilst also maintaining their group formations. Unlike the rest of the dungeon the boss room was as tall as it was long, and its width came out to around half its length. Compared to the mostly tightly packed dungeon leading up to it, the boss room felt spacious and aire. With a floor made of marble which shined a multitude of different colours, similar to that of stained glass, the room definitely lived up to its grand status as a boss room. Keeping with the aesthetic laid out by the floor, the walls too shined with multicoloured marble and stretched from the ground to the ceiling; a ceiling which was itself supported by several white marble pillars.

Though much of the room consisted of the brightly colored marble, it was as dimly lit as the rest of the dungeon; resulting in it feeling more like a continuation of the dungeon rather than an endpoint. But, such a state seemed to be only temporary, as immediately after the last player walked through the oversized doors, it was as if a virtual light switch had been flipped. Braziers that had once lied dormant ignited, starting at the entrance and continuing in a line to the back of the room. Their sudden breath of life naturally pulled people's attention and thus drew their gaze to the back of the room, where a low but raised platform sat at the top of a short staircase.

Placed atop the center of the platform a large, oversized throne adorned in red velvet and a gold frame sat proudly. Despite its outlandish look it was overshadowed by something else, namely its occupant. Sitting at just over one and a half meters tall and covered in little armour, save for his large iron looking helmet; the boss looked intimidating even in such a relaxed stance. With red skin that blended with the velvet of his chair and a large axe made of bone sitting to his side, he looked ready to take on any daring enough to challenge him. Something that become more apparent as he reacted to the presence of the group of players. Looking up, he reveals two red orbs of light behind his helmet, taking the place of his eyes.

Collecting his axe from where it lay beside the golden throne and grabbing hold of the shield which had been placed behind it, the large red creature stood up from its seated position before jumping down from the platform. The throne which it had sat on moments ago disappearing in an explosion of dithering polygons. Now on the same level as the players which had disturbed its slumber the creature released a resounding roar, like that of a carnivore before its prey.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!"

Moments later three bright blue circles appeared on the floor around him, each one an amount of distance from the others. Slowly, the bright light they held began to dim and the outline of an enemy showed itself.

 **[Kobold Sentinels]**

Holding the same basic appearance as the boss which they had spawned around, though much smaller in size by comparison. The only way of differentiating between the three was to take note of the weapons they were carrying. This being a longsword, a spear and finally, some sort of rudimentary looking club.

With the bosses introductory faze complete he released one last roar in tandem with his three sentinels, before his own name tag and four daunting health bars appeared.

 **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]**

Feeling a greater sense of doom at the appearance of the bosses name players began to instinctively ready their weapons, while also checking their surroundings to ensure that they were in or at least near; their assigned positions. Taking one short moment to look over towards Kirito, and seeing that he had moved to a more combat ready position; Asuna and Lisbeth flanking either side of him. Klein returned his gaze back to the boss before them and, after removing his own weapon from its scabbard and taking a firm grip on the handle. Muttered under his breath.

"Heh, I guess this is where the fun begins."

* * *

Weapons clashed and battle cries rang out as iron met steel and player's stayed in their assigned positions. Working in groups of three or four most faced off against **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]**. Each one taking a turn at defending against his overpowering attacks, while others launched some of their own; dealing what little damage they could against the towering behemoth. Despite his sheer size compared to regular mobs, it would have been both impractical and all but impossible to have every member of the raid party fight him, so. Those not currently squaring up against the red giant were left to deal with his minions; namely the **[Kobold Sentinels]** that had spawned alongside him.

One such set of players engaged in this role was the trio of Kirito, Lisbeth and Asuna. Who, after singling one of them out had begun to employ the same tactics they had practiced while out in the fields, tactics that were proving themselves to be rather effective against the more regular of the two enemies. Taking note of their foe, the **[Kobold Sentinel]** which they had singled out wore a full set of rough metal armour which covered the central part of its blood red body, resulting in just its arms and legs being visible. In addition to the metal armour this particular **[Kobold Sentinel]** was a spear user, its choice of weapon giving it a much greater area of attack compared to that of the sword or club user.

Despite this oddity, the three of them still easily fell into routine as they utilised the muscle memory they had built up over the past few weeks of questing together. Making the first move, Lisbeth to a step forward, her shield raised in a defensive stance and her mace by her side; ready to strike should the opportunity present itself. As the only shield user in their small party it often fell to her to play the part of the tank. Drawing their enemies attention and keeping them busy long enough for Asuna or Kirito to land an attack. It was for this reason that she had not only moved forward first, but that she had also released the shield Skill, **«** **Eternal Rage** **»**. Like most shield skills, it wasn't offensive by nature, but rather had the aim of distracting the enemy. Something which it achieved by eliciting a raging hatred towards the user, thereby keeping them focused on the one who used it.

With its attention well and truly captured, the lone **[Kobold Sentinel]** moved to face Lisbeth head on. Taking a firm grip of its spear it suspended it high above its head and released a sharp, almost feral cry before once again lowering it and charging its target. Bracing for the impending attack Lisbeth lowered her center of gravity, putting as much of her weight behind her admittedly too small of a shield as she could. Despite the decidedly average size of the creature and her strong stance, its attack had a lot more weight behind it than she had been expecting. The blow hit her shield dead on, its metal tip generating sparks as it slid across the smooth metal.

Now that the first move had been made and their plan was beginning to unfold, Asuna moved in for an attack. Being the fastest member of the group, her newly acquired rapier giving her the edge over Kirito, it made sense for the first attack to go to her. She lunged forward, releasing the sword skill **«** **Piercing Lance** **»** ; causing her weapon to glow with a light blue hue as it flew through the air before striking its target in the upper forearm. Thanks to the successful hit the creature recoiled in pain and released a howling scream as its attention was diverted from Lisbeth. Backing away, it held it's spear in one hand while its other moved to console the wound on its upper arm. There wasn't any type of blood in SAO beyond a few red particle spawning when a hit connected, but in the event there was; then the creature would have most likely been trying to stop the bleeding.

In a way mimicking her targets actions Asuna also backed away after her attack, retreating back to stand in line with Lisbeth. Looking down at her weapon she admired its thin blade, she had yet to parray an attack with it from a spear user; but looking back towards her enemy it seemed as though she may be about to do just that.

Taking advantage of the momentum built up by Asuna's swift attack Kirito jumped in, activating a lunging type sword skill of his own. While not as quick as a rapier, the fact that the **[Kobold Sentinel]** was still consoling his wounds gave him the chance he needed to land a hit of his own; or so he thought.

Moving faster than any of them had thought possible, the **[Kobold Sentinel]** spun its spear around and dug the sharpened end into the ground, before using it to push itself backwards once more. As a result of the unorthodox action Kirito's attack missed by less than an inch, his face full of shock at it being able to dodge in such a position and that he was now left open to a counter attack. Not missing a beat, the **[Kobold Sentinel]** sprang once more into action, kicking the sharp end of its spear out of the ground and sending it on a vertical motion towards Kirito's left side. With no way of disabling his current sword skill and no chance of dodging he accepted that he would have to take the hit.

"Kirito!"

Calling out more in desperation, than in any sort of attempt to get his attention Asuna and Lisbeth rushed in; their weapons drawn and ready to help however they could. But, it was a rash decision they would quickly come to regret as the force of the attack from the **[Kobold Sentinel]** finally hit Kirito, sending his body flying. Despite being rather average when it came to his height and build, the attack still had enough force behind it that he was knocked off his feet and as such. Sent him to fly into an unprepared Lisbeth who hadn't even had a chance to move out of the way before he came crashing into her. In contrast to his rather average build, Lisbeth was both shorter and smaller. Meaning that when they made contact, the two of them flew backwards, eventually coming to a stop in a tangled mess of limbs a couple of feet back from where they had originally started.

Capitalising on the confusion it had caused the **[Kobold Sentinel]** lunged forward with its spear, a strong red light trailing in its wake as it prepared to unleash the skill it had stored up. At the same time Lisbeth looked about in confusion as her gaze landed on the enemy charging towards her. In a panic she tried to bring up her shield but, to her dismay found that it was stuck along with half her body under Kirito. Noting that neither her friend nor Kirito was in any position to defend Asuna acted quickly lining up a sword skill in her rapier and allowing her momentum from before to carry her to her target.

Alas her actions came too late, her weapon still sitting ready to be unleashed at the same time that their enemy chose to switch targets. Twisting its body in an inhuman way it turned to the lone girl, before releasing its charged skill.

"Asuna!"

"Haa!" She called out, as if doing so would make her body move quicker.

Canceling her attack with seconds to spare -thanks in no small part to the quickness of her rapier- Asuna pulled her weapon forward, catching her enemies spear and misdirecting it. Though her parry had been able to connect, it was far from perfect. The point of her enemies spear still finding its target, plunging into her left shoulder as it delivered a powerful blow and sent her flying back in the same way Kirito had moments before. Disoriented from the attack she glanced up at her health bar in a panic, but calmed a little when she saw she had only lost a little under a quarter. While it was a lot for a single attack, it was still something she could work with. Having calmed her nerves Asuna's thoughts then jumped to Lisbeth and Kirito, who could still be seen struggling on the floor. Understanding that she would need to keep the **[Kobold Sentinel]** busy for a little longer she pushed her way up, her hand coming up to console where she had been hit. There wasn't any pain in SAO, but that didn't mean you couldn't feel attacks; resulting in an odd sensation permeating from where the spear had penetrated. Moving her hand from her wound and lifting her rapier up in to sit in an offensive position, Asuna kicked off the floor. Following her movements in an almost mirror like fashion her enemy too kicked off the floor and began charging her, its spear once again glowing and ready to unleash a powerful attack. But if it was expecting it to produce the same results, then it was sorely mistaken. Having taken note of how it had attacked before Asuna made sure not to preemptively load a sword skill, a decision which paid off when they met and the **[Kobold Sentinel]** lunged forward with its spear.

Leaning back and tilting to the side Asuna dodged the point of the spear while deflecting it with her rapier, the move causing the **[Kobold Sentinel]** to falter in surprise and thus give her the chance to land an attack of her own. Deciding that she didn't have the time to load a sword skill, Asuna instead spun around to her enemies side before thrusting her rapier sideways. Landing true and piercing her enemies shoulder, Asuna's rapier delivered a small amount of damage before she took the chance to jump back.

Moving to once again form some semblance of a battle line Asuna rejoined Kirito and Lisbeth who by this point had managed to untangle themselves. Standing with her shield in front of her just as she had done before Lisbeth took over distraction duties from Asuna, releasing a skill to get the attention of the **[Kobold Sentinel]** and giving the two behind her time to recover. _No more rash decisions, no more rash decisions._ She said to herself over and over again, as if it were some sort of ritual. Meanwhile, Kirito stood with his sword down by his side, the weapon motionless while he downed a health potion as quickly as he could.

"You ok?" He questioned as he glanced to his side, words to which Asuna could do nothing more than give a blank stare.

"Here." He spoke again, before materialising another health potion and pushing it on her.

Taking hold of the glass bottle Asuna's hands moved in an almost robotic fashion as she tried to down the cold liquid as quickly as she could, not wanting to waste a single moment when she could be helping Lisbeth. But despite her obvious rush the cool liquid helped to calm her raging mind somewhat, giving her pause and allowing her to take in her surroundings; surroundings she had been mostly oblivious of. From all around her the sounds of metal weapons colliding and shields repelling attacks could be heard, groups of players fulfilled their assigned roles as some took on the remaining **[Kobold Sentinel]'s** and others worked together to take down the boss, **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]**. Pairs of shield users pulled his agro and kept him busy while others landed hits whenever and wherever they could. Their strategies were far from perfect, but given that the raid party had only met the day before then it was a wonder that they were making any progress at all. With her mind clearer and her potion finished Asuna turned back towards the one who had given her said potion, and found that he took had been looking around the room. Looking closer she could see that a stoic expression adorned his face as she tried, but failed. To discern what he was thinking.

Without even realising it Asuna had begun to stare, suddenly growing curious as to who exactly Kirito was; that he'd show so little reaction to the controlled pandemonium going on around them. At the very least she knew he'd had experience in this sort of game before and he had kept a level head in just about every situation they'd been in. So the question was, just who was this mysterious boy that she was so adamant about repaying? Pondering her own question a puzzled expression made its way onto Asuna's face, one that served to be the trigger for Kirito to react.

"Is something the matter? You've been staring at me for the last two minutes." He asked as he turned to face her.

"Kirito, you-" Given the opportunity to get answers, Asuna was about to do just that; but was stopped when her friend called out. Reminding her that they were in fact in the middle of a boss battle. Finding out about Kirito would have to wait until later.

"Ahhhh!"

Releasing a cry as she launched her attack Lisbeth ran at her enemy with her shield razed, taking advantage of a momentary lapse in the attacks of the **[Kobold Sentinel]** to land an attack of her own. As luck would have it, her timing couldn't have been more perfect. Her shield skill **«** **Heavy Repulsion** **»** landing at the same time as they were switching balance, allowing her to push them back and make them stagger as the **[Kobold Sentinel]** used its spear to stay upright. With the **[Kobold Sentinel]** successfully staggered now was the chance for the others to rejoin the fight. Making the first move Kirito ran in, coming up on the left side of Lisbeth as he charged up and proceeded to release a sword skill **«** **Arc Horizon** **»** ; the pale blue blade came down cleanly across the left shoulder of the **[Kobold Sentinel]** , causing it to scream out in pain. Having been given enough time to prepare a more powerful skill, alongside the damage already dealt by their resident tank; Kirito's sword cut cleanly through its armour and didn't stop until it had also cut through the thin arm of the **[Kobold Sentinel]**.

Moving in a way that was more lifelike than any of those before it their enemy dropped its spear to the ground, the weighted weapon making a clang as its metal tip hit against the marble floor. While at the same time its remaining hand came up to clutch at the wound now occupying where it's arm should have been.

"Asuna, switch!" Kirito called out, wanting to capitalize on the moment his attack had created.

Not missing a beat Asuna launched forward, recovering from her previous confusion and moving around Lisbeth's left side while Kirito hopped back, her trusted rapier drawn back in her dominant hand and resting at eye level. Soon enough the sword skill she had begun to load started to kick in, the blade of her rapier taking on a faintly red glow. Running forward with speed to match that of her weapon Asuna took a final step with her left foot before stopping mere inches from her foe. Waiting for the moment where her upper body caught up Asuna released her sword skill, the rapier that had previously moved fast gaining even more speed as it jabbed at their enemy again and again, 4… 5... 6 she continued the assault before finally reaching the crescendo during her eighth and final blow.

Plunging her rapier much deeper than previously Asuna aimed for the heart, hitting the correct area with a surprising amount of accuracy. Despite her surprising level accuracy, she hadn't been able to push her weapon deep enough for it to count as a critical hit. But as it would happen none of that mattered, as her final attack gained the benefit of being the last one in the chain and thus dealt increased damage. Jerking back from the force of the hit and letting go with its one remaining hand, the **[Kobold Sentinel]** once again staggered before leaning forward. Finally, much to the relief of all three members the last of its HP bar drained away and it dropped to the floor. Its body proceeding to shatter into polygons which shimmered in the bright light of the boss room before they too dissipated and nothing but emptiness was left.

* * *

The roar of the boss reverberated throughout the room, instilling an amount of fear in players which they hadn't previously felt. Once again raising his weapon, **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** swung downwards with a force only his large body could produce, the blade making contact with the line of shield users in front of him and producing a deep ringing sound. As they had done for many of his previous attacks the tanks continued to hold firm, though the sheer weight of the bosses blade and the force behind it had caused them to be pushed back a little, while sparks spewed from the impact site on their shields and added to the weight of the situation. If anyone was to be hit directly by that blade then it would mean instant death, a fact which no one was more aware of than those currently defending against it.

"Now's our chance, attack!"

The groups leader shouted, prompting any and all players that were in a position to attack; to do just that. Axes, swords, daggers and spears; players attacked with whatever their weapon of choice was. Some taking the time to charge up sword skills, while others charged in without them, their impatience winning them over.

With an enemy as large as **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** it would have been all but impossible to make use of conventional tactics, meaning that the raid party had to fight and act in a way many of the players were not confident in. But despite having to discard many of their previous routines and thus having to come up with new ways of fighting, there was one major change which instead worked in their favour; namely their enemies aforementioned size. Being as large as he was it meant it was possible for multiple players to attack at once, rather than in turns just as Kirito's party had done previously. Resulting in increased damage and by extension shortening the length of the fight -at least in theory-. Though while this was primarily a benefit it also had a drawback of its own, as was seen when even after the call had been given to pull back, two players remained in place. The most likely reason being that they couldn't forsake the allure of dealing more damage, and ensuring their place as one of the top players amongst the raid party.

All too soon the boss recovered from his failed attack, and much to the dismay of the other players chose not to keep his attention of the shield users. Instead he turned his head slowly to the side before looking down and seeing two players; one male and one female repeatedly attacking him. Too engrossed in how much damage they were dealing to notice, the boss made quick work of the unprepared players. Spinning around on the spot he drove his foot into the closest of the two, sending them flying and allowing him to bring his weapon down on the second one. As had been previously speculated by the tanks who had defended against them. A direct attack from the weapon of **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** did in fact spell the end, as was seen when the player that had taken the direct hit instantly split into two, a cloud of dust exploding from where the weapon made contact with the ground.

The attack had been so quick and its effects so swift that the player didn't even have a chance to register what had happened, instead she showed a brief shocked expression before bursting into shimmering polygons and disappearing without a trace. At the same time the first player hadn't fared much better. The powerful force of **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** sending them flying across the room like a projectile launched from a catapult before slamming into one of the many stone pillars supporting the room; at which point an audible cracking sound rang out, as if their very bones were being crushed. Something which only served to increase the fear among the onlooking players. Having slammed into the pillar with enough force to knock them out, the players now motionless body slid down the white marble pillar. Its movement not unlike that of a lifeless doll that had been tossed against the wall and unceremoniously fallen to the floor.

Despite all of this, by some semblance of luck a small slimmer of the lifeless players health remained, a reality that **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** seemingly did not approve of.

Once more spinning on his feet in a manner unbefitting of a creature of such size **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** turned to where the player had landed, their body still showing no signs of movement. Lining itself up the boss proceeded to hold his weighty sword steady before bending his knees and in a surprise to just about everyone -including the beta testers- leapt off the floor, jumping high over the few players still in position and making them freeze in shock and disbelief as a result. Being able to do nothing more than watch as their entire reason for being there effortlessly flew over their heads the players stood still, their confidence beginning to waver as they tried to think of how or even if they should fight this new enemy. Moving independently of the players worries **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** continued until he reached his target. Dropping out of the sky like a lead balloon with as much speed as when he had jumped, and causing a cloud of smoke to spew forth from the impact site in much the same way as his sword had done. An action which was accompanied by the heavy sound of his landing, the dull vibration reverberating through the acoustically positive room and shaking the players to their very core.

Having reached his destination the boss bent down and with his free hand took hold of lifeless player he'd failed to dispose of before. Lifting them up by the scruff of their neck the boss looked at him, an expression of what could only be described as disgust forming on his oversized face as he examined the player he had failed to kill. A failure that **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** wasn't willing to let stand as he proceeded to raise them aloof, before swiftly slamming them back down into the floor. Either because of the sudden jolt of movement or as a result the system wanting to mess with him; by waking him up to see his final moments. The player sprang back into life, opening their mouth wide and gasping for oxygen; as if they had just reached the surface of a deep ocean. Alas the players recurrence was short lived, their life returning for but a moment as their body shattered into hundreds of shimmering polygons and impact smoke filled the area.

In a manner that gave away his clear enjoyment at toying with those present, the boss released a sound not unlike that of a deep, jovial laugh. This, when combined with his previous actions and all those leading up to it caused the players to fall into a frenzied panic. As quickly as they had moved to surround him, players began retreating- or rather running from their positions, many of them crying out in terror at the overwhelming odds they had just been shown. Each and every one of them had defeated countless enemies, and in doing so had grown confident enough to put themselves forward for this raid. But, that confidence had now been shattered like the fragile glass that it was.

Screams of panic filled the previously quiet room, players regaining enough of their composure to know that if they wanted to survive; then they needed to start running. As a result, many began to push past or in some cases even trampling over, those who hadn't; making for the exit as quickly as they could. What had once been an organized raid party descended into frenzied chaos as its members began ran for their lives.

Seeing the fevered panic he had caused and his mental victory over that of the players, **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** pressed his advantage, turning towards the scurrying raid party and charging them, striking with his large weapon at anyone unfortunate enough to be in range. Even if they weren't hit directly the sweeping motion of the weapon alone was still able to send groups of players flying, the sight only adding to the dismay of the already panicked group. Having only just finished dealing with their own problems Kirito turned as he heard the screams, shocked and equally panicked to see that upwards of 90% of their raid party was running. With how dispersed the players had become and how single minded all of them now where it was clear that without an intervention, this battle was a loss cause. Though what they needed wasn't a hero, but rather a leader.

"T-tanks, form a line in front of me!"

"What-! What are you talking about man, we've gotta get out of here! You said this fight would be easy." Kibaou shouted out, stuck between joining the rest of the players in running and trying to save his new friend.

"And it will be- Tanks! Form a line with your shields, if we run he'll just pick us off one by one. We just need to regroup!"

Though he had spoken with confidence when replying to Kibaou, in truth Diavel was just as afraid as he was. This wasn't how the fight was meant to playout, the boss shouldn't have been this agile. In the beta he was nothing more than a slow mearinding mass with easy to distinguish attack patterns and easy to dodge attacks. Not the apparent agile ferret, capable of jumping over literal groups of players that he had seemingly become. Tightening his grip on his sword and raising his small but modest shield, Diavel took a stand. His heart racing a million miles a minute and his legs just about ready to give out at any moment. But, if they wanted to regain control of this fight, if they wanted to come out of it alive. Then they would need to make a stand, blocking the bosses next attack and breaking his momentum. But, such a feat would require the help of other players, help he wasn't sure he would get.

Stepping towards the boss in a clear action contrasting the rest of the players, Diavel quickly drew the attention of **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]**. Looking at the red mass of death charging towards him Diavel's eyes were naturally drawn to its face, a face that held a look of what he could only assume was joy; joy at the prospect of being given such an easy victory. Seeing such a look Diavel took an involuntary step back, his body and mind telling him to get out of there and escape; aware of the impending danger and what was about to happen. Closing the gap and coming into striking distance **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** raised his weapon, the large blade held high and to the side ready for a sweeping attack that would no doubt take out countless players; including the only one foolish enough to step forward. For his part Diavel did what he could, finally willing his body on enough to tense his muscles and lower his center of mass before also praying to a nonexistent god that he wouldn't be knocked off his feet when the attack connected.

Despite Diavel trying to play the part of hero and thus get the raid party regrouped, a quick look around the room showed that his attempts fell short. Worrying about nothing more than saving their own skin, players continued to run despite his calls for the opposite; instead thankful that Diavel may inadvertently help them regardless by distracting the boss. Eventually, as it was always going to, the attack came and like a bullet fired from a gun the oversized weapon swung forward in an arcing motion. Unable to keep his eyes open as it drew closer Diavel tensed one last time and waited, ready to take on something that had the same weight and force as a fully loaded truck.

…..

…..

...

But, to his surprise and subsequent confusion; there was no heavy weight, there was no bullet like force. Instead there was just a kind of heavy weight against his shield, pushing it closer to his chest as he fought against it. Slowly opening one of his eyes -too scared to completely look at what he believed should have happened- Diavel could see that rather than sending him flying, as it should have done. The sword wielded by **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** was resting against his shield, alongside the shield's of others. An indescribable wave of relief came over him as he found his hadn't been in vain, to some players at least.

"A-Attack now!" he cried out, his voice stuttering from the untold stress he was under. "While the boss is stunned!"

Following Diavel's words the few players who had decided to join him in staying and were not part of the shield wall rushed forward, charging in and releasing whatever sword skill they had had time to prepare. Spear users went first, utilising their increased range to land the first hits and releasing skills such as **«** **True Lance** **»** and **«** **Piercing Straight** **»** to increase that range further. Spear after spear continued to strike the body of **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** , some doing little more than pricking the surface while those of a higher level sunk further into the bosses tough skin. In response **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** released a cry as weapon after weapon struck its target, spears, swords, maces and axes. Each one wielded by another player, and each one dealing more and more damage.

With the cry signaling that the boss was no longer staggered those on the offensive backed off, eager to not make the same mistake as before and falling behind the improtute shield wall as they worked to regroup.

"We can do this!" One of them shouted, their spirits raised after the last attack which had taken out a sizable chunks of the bosses HP.

"Let's show him who the real boss is!"

Despite this rare moment of positivity they were still fighting a boss level enemy, a fact they were reminded of when their enemy, **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** tightened the hold on his oversized weapon and released a roar. The sound was almost deafening, causing many players to hold their hands over their ears as it bounced around the room, the audible shockwave resonating with the rooms pillars and smooth surfaces to amplify it further.

"G-Get back! He's going to attack!" Someone called out, trying to warn the players who were now standing wide open. Though nobody could have been sure who'd made the call, for many; it didn't matter. The call to warn them came far too late as they stood still, clutching their ears to block out the deafening scream of the boss and thus missing his impending signs of attack.

As the player calling out had predicted the boss unleashed an attack, a horizontal sword skill caused the weapon to glow a bright orange before it proceeded to cleave its way through multiple players, each one as shocked and unprepared as the previous one. Three, four and then five. The number of casualties continued to rise as many were too slow to react, and the few that did were sent flying by the force of the heavy metal sword.

Watching in horror as the boss swiftly dispatched of those players not behind their makeshift shield wall Diavel shouted out. "God damn it! I told you not to overextend yourselves!" He screamed as he cursed his own lack of knowledge and his inability to gain the upper hand. He may have given a speech before this fight about not acting on their own and listening to orders, but he didn't have the gravitas to enforce such a demand.

* * *

"What do we do!? What do we do Kirito!" Klein asked, his voice a fevered panic as he held himself back from jumping into the frey. Having been one of the few groups to have not fallen routed, thanks in part to them having not been involved with the actual boss battle; Instead being tasked with taking out a **[Kobold Sentinel]** much like Kirito's party had been. Klein's party had been spared from the onslaught being dealt out by the boss. But, having finished off their enemy sooner than Kirito, they'd had time to bare witness to the chaos brought about by **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** and as a result, Klein. Still the same people person at heart -despite what had happened previously, and the systems attempts to stop him- still wanted to charge in and help.

"I don't know!" Kirito shouted out in response, his words sounding a lot harsher than they should have been as he tried to make himself heard over the screams of others. Leaving Klein to wonder how he could help, all the while clutching at his sword in anticipation. He did at the very least have enough control left to know that jumping in without a plan would be suicide, but the screams of the players as they were cut down, along with the roars of the boss were beggining to make that control waver.

"This entire fights gone to hell." Kirito remarked as he continued to watch **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** terrorize the raid party, staring in disbelief as a well planned raid fell to pieces.

"Shouldn't… Shouldn't we just run away?"

The voice sounded almost foreign and out of place, as if they were speaking in another language that neither of them understood. But they weren't speaking in another language and turning to face the one who had spoken them, Kirito and Klein's eyes met Asuna's. With a slightly red face and quickened breathing from the fight before, Asuna asked again; unsure if they had mishered her before.

"Shouldn't we just run away? It's not like we can't come back. We'd be better off reorganizing and trying again later."

 _Run...Away._ That was what she had said, that for now they should retreat and then after regrouping and reorganizing try to take on the boss again. Truthfully… she was right.

To anyone else not in the same situation it would have made sense. Fall back, regroup, and take on the boss another day. It was the smartest move and the one with the biggest likelihood of success. But, there was one key point Asuna had forgotten in her suggestion, that being that they were in such a situation. It had been a month since the start of the game and subsequently, a month that they had been trapped on the first floor. As stated by Kayaba at the start of the game if they wanted to leave, to escape. Then they needed to beat all 100 floors and clear the castle. But, If they had spent a month on the first floor, if they were to spend _more_ than a month on the first floor; then how long would it take to clear the remaining 99?

"Ahh!" The screams of players that had died down for a moment once more picked up as a second round of attacks began. The sounds pulling the three of them from their thoughts.

"I don't want to die! I can't die!" Whether by random chance or some sort of sick, twisted fate. The boss allowed the player to finish his cries of hopelessness before he was subsequently cut down. The large metal weapon slicing through their midriff like a hot knife through butter and splitting them in two. With all of the nearby players dealt with, **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** stopped charging and turned his attention further afield.

Scouring the room for players who were not defending so as to have an easy target it came across a pair of girls, both had dropped their weapon in the heat of the fight and we're now running back to the safety of the entrance. The taller and thus faster one pulling along her shorter, slower companion. Lowering his body slightly in preparation **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** tensed before jumping from the ground as he had done so before. Arcing through the air he landed a few feet away from the girls, the shockwave caused as a result of it making the smaller girl lose her footing.

Turning to see what was essentially their own personal grim reaper staring straight back at her the older girl pulled desperately on her smaller companion's arm, trying to get her back on her feet despite them having been caught by the boss. As if knowing their struggles were in vein **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** showed what looked to be a grin as he let out yet another eerily realistic laugh. Raising his trusted sword aloff the boss prepared to swing it downwards, seemingly not bothering to waste time on loading a sword skill; instead wanting the quick satisfaction of killing the two unarmed players.

With the attack imminent and no way out the older girl abandoned her attempts at picking up her smaller companion, instead dropping to the floor and wrapping them, or rather- her younger sister; protectively in her arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated, tears beginning to show as she came to terms with what was going to happen; not to mention the fact that it was all her fault.

In the real world the two sisters had slowly grown apart. Their mother had passed away shortly after giving birth and their father, unable to cope with her loss had turned to drinking for comfort. Because of this, the older sister took every chance she could to get away, preferring to roam the streets than stay at home and deal with his drunken tyraids. But, in doing so she had forgotten about her younger sister, often leaving her to deal with his verbal abuse on her own. So, when her younger sister had mentioned her interest in the Nerve Gear and in Sword Art Online, she jumped at the opportunity. Taking on every part time job she could and working night and day to earn enough for two copies. She knew this would be her chance, her chance at redemption and her chance to reconnect with her sister.

This game was meant to let her right the wrongs she had done in the past, to let them in a sense to start over from the beginning. But, now that they were about to be killed, she found she was only left with a single thought. _She wished she had tried to do so sooner._

A heavy reverberating sound rang out, the bosses blade which had been on a direct collision course with the girls remaining suspended centimeters from their heads as **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** put on an angered expression. Slowly opening her eyes, the older of the two looked along the length of the blade, wondering what had been able to stop such a heavy weapon. Before long she found her answer, a large double sided war axe held the oversized blade in place. Looking to its wilder the girl saw a player whose height was easily over six with a skin tone that stood out, contrasting the predominantly Japanese player base.

Never one to not give her thanks, despite the uncaring persona she had built up. The girl tried to give her thanks. "Th-" She whispered out, but soon found that her voice had escaped her.

"You can thank me after we make it out of this mess!" The man shouted, his face strained as he tried to hold back the excruciately heavy sword. He was glad that he'd finally been able to do something -having spent most of the fight as part of a support group- but, his joy and the girls thankfulness could wait until after they'd defeated the boss. Which was beginning to look more and more unlikely as he continued to struggle against the heavy blade. He may have been able to stop the initial charge, but to **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** this was apparently a fight he didn't want to lose as his oversized sword continued pressing down; slowly edging closer and closer to its target.

With a clear opportunity presenting itself Klein, who had been looking for just such a moment leapt into action. Rushing forward with his weapon drawn he hoped that he would be able to help save at least one life today. Something which he hoped to achieve by providing the large player with with the help he so sorely needed, but that others were hesitant to give.

With **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** completely focused on the large axe wielding player Klein attacked with the sword skill **«** **Vertical Line** **»** , his weapon glowing red as he jumped and brought down his weapon on the outstretched arm of his enemy. Releasing a scream of pain as Klein's sword found its target, the bosses grip on his weapon faltered. A fact not missed by the large axe wielding player as he dug his feet into the ground and pushed upwards, his axe breaking past the bosses weapon and causing it to fly up, narrowly missing its own wilders face as they stumbled to regain balance.

Seizing the opportunity afforded to them by **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** trying to recover from the sudden attack, Klein holstered his own before stepping back to where the two fallen players were. In a rush to act before the boss regained his senses Klein pulled on the taller girls arm, pulling her up from the floor and onto her feet.

"Now's our chance, move!" He called out to the other player, who gave him a nod in return.

"Wait my-!" The older girl protested, but stopped when she saw that the large player who had saved them before, continued doing so by scooping up her younger sister. An act that Klein chose to replicate after seeing that the boss had all but recovered from his attack.

"Sorry miss, but bear with me for a moment!"

"Eh!?"

Unsure how to react, all the older sister could do was put on a shocked expression as she was picked up by the taller player. Meanwhile, **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** put on an angered expression as it watched its prey be taken away. In response he released yet another ear piercing scream before retrieving its weapon and kicking off the ground, launching itself forward to close the gap that had now formed.

Having stopped running once again thanks to what was happening, many of the players stood still, shock and horror for what was about to happen evident on their faces. From their position they could see both the group of four running away, as well as the boss which had now closed the gap and was about to land on top of them.

"No, don't!" Diavel screamed out, powerless from his position so far back and able to do nothing more than call out in horror; hoping that it would in some way save them.

However, despite Diavel's calls neither he nor the rest of the players physically made any move to aid the retreating group. Most likely a result of their fears born out of the havoc that **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** had caused prior. But in what was a small glimmer of hope for the retreating group of players there were still some who had yet to be scared off by the oversized mass.

"Klein! Keep going, we'll take care of the boss!" Kirito's voice called out as he offered the group some measure of salvation in the face of despair, giving hope where it had once all been taken.

Quickly facing the remainder of Klein's party Kirito spoke, aware that his plan wouldn't work with him alone and that as Klein was involved they could no doubt be relied on. "We'll keep the boss distracted with attacks, while we do get Klein and the others out of there."

Being the next in line of sorts Dynamm stepped up. "Ok, you distract the boss and we'll grab Klein. Once they're safe, we'll come and help you. So just keep him busy until then." He finished before extended a hand out towards the smaller player.

"You got it." Kirito agreed, before meeting the extended hand with his own and sharing a short affirming hand shake. Turning his head back to Asuna and Lisbeth Kirito checked that he had their support.

"Asuna, Lisbeth. You ready?"

"Yeah!" Asuna replied, her voice sounding weirdly energetic compared to the rather somber reply from Lisbeth. "O-ok." The shorter girl spoke, not entirely comfortable with the idea but too unwilling to voice her concerns.

With their polar agreements in hand Kirito kicked off the ground in much the same way Klein had done prior. With his weapon still drawn from before he ran forward, Lisbeth and Asuna following either side of him as he charged up the sword skill **«** **Sonic Leap** **»**.

Meanwhile **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** had closed the last bit of distance and landed on the hard marble floor, a cloud of smoke surrounding his feet as he drew back his large weapon; preparing for another sword skilless attack. Such a sight should have caused Kirito to panic, but instead; it resulted in joy. _I was right after all then._ Taking full advantage of the sword skill he had prepared Kirito leapt into the air, both him and his weapon arcing before the blade sliced into exposed back of his enemy.

"Gahh!" It cried out, the sudden attack catching it off guard.

Not wasting the momentum caused by a surprise attack Kirito called out as he drew his weapon back and dropped to the floor. "Asuna! Switch!"

Heeding his words Asuna lurched forward from her position on his left, releasing her own sword skill **«** **Rapid Point** **»** as she came into range. Drawing her weapon back and then thrusting it forward quickly, she repeated the action again and again in quick succession, each thrust hitting its target and striking at the left side of her enemies lower back. Acting in response **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** swung his sword across his front, before bringing it down towards his left leg; attempting to hit the agile player.

Alas his attack came too late as Kirito's theory was once again proven. A theory that he put into practice as he jumped forward and easily stopped the bosses attack, despite the size of the weapon. "Liz, switch!" Hearing Kirito's command Lisbeth activated a weapon skill before running in on the right of them and swinging her weapon to connect with bosses ribs. With **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** distracted by Asuna and his weapon put out of commision by Kirito, Lisbeth was almost guaranteed to be successful, a point proven when her mace sank into the soft underbelly of her enemy and took a sizable chunk of HP as a result.

"Get ready for the jump!" Kirito called out as the three of them backed away slightly and, as if he were commanding the boss himself **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** crouched, before launching himself into the air and landing a few feet back.

"Don't let up, Asuna. Switch!"

Once again they shot forward, weapon skills prepared and ready to strike. Like a well practiced dance the three players landed hit after hit, their momentum not letting. Leaving **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** to do nothing more than scream out in pain as one attack lead into the next.

From their position further back many of the players who had still yet to leave could do nothing more than stare in awe at the show of talent- or rather, the show of trust on display. Their attacks continued, the end of one signalling the start of another as the third player worked to block the bosses counter.

With Kirito, Asuna and Lisbeth keeping the boss busy as per their plan, Klein and his new foreign companion had been able to retreat back enough to meet up with the former's party.

"Klein!" Dynamm shouted while running up to and thrusting a health potion at his friend, an action copied by another of their group as they handed a similar health potion to the girl Klein had helped rescue.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He insisted while pushing the health potion away. "Forget about me, go help them!"

After hearing Klein tell them to go help the others each member exchanged glances, a side effect of what those they were told to go help were achieving. Initially Dynamm had told Kirito that they would join the fight after escorting Klein and the others to safety. But… that was before they had seen Kirito and the others fight. The way continued to attack, the way they effortlessly played off each others strength to keep the boss in a permanent state of inaction. There was no guarantee that they would be any help even if they joined, rather. From what they were seeing, it was more likely they would turn out to be a hindrance.

Noting their quite looks and growing impatient at their inaction Klein glanced towards the boss, hoping to see why they were still with him and not helping Kirito as he had told them to. He knew that Kirito was a former beta tester, one that he had chosen to share with them and one that not many people knew. So he wasn't all that surprised to know that when it came to combat, Kirito really was a cut above the rest; at least when compared to those in their own small group. He put some of it down to previous experience and some of it down to real life skills he knew nothing about. However, at the same time he knew he was more of a solo player. He'd seen first hand that fighting alongside others didn't always go well, and that sometimes doing so meant he could freeze up.

But right now, before Klein's very eyes, Kirito was proving that assessment to be wrong. The boss which had been giving everyone so much trouble, the boss that had already been able to kill countless players; was now not. Rather **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** looked like he was being beaten back, his health in a steady decline while Kirito and co. kept up their attack.

At the same time, standing with the rest of the remaining raid party Diavel showed an equally shocked and bewildered expression as he watched three players lead on the boss they had just run from. The sight caused his grip to loosen, his shield and sword now hanging loosely from his hands as he tried to comprehend what had changed- or rather, how these three players were able to fight against a boss which had beaten an entire raid party.

"Kirito, switch!"

Lisbeth called out, her voice now more confident as the three of them grew more comfortable in their fight against **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]**.

"I'm on it!" He shouted in return, before sprinting forward and once again making use of the sword skill **«** **Sonic Leap** **»** to give him a speed boost. Landing his hit perfectly on the boss that couldn't fight back Kirito glanced up to check the remaining health. Less than a quarter remained on the final health bar, a positive considering the three of them were beginning to feel the strain of being in a constant cycle; their attacks begging to slow despite their continued enthusiasm. Whether as a preprogrammed response or as a result of their previously mentioned assault slowing, there was a sudden change in the bosses attack pattern. Dropping its large weapon to the ground **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** proceeded to reach behind his back and pull out two short, slightly curved blades. Neither of which had been visible before.

The switch had taken less than five seconds to complete, and the attack launched after it was equally as quick. Only just pulling his sword out in time, Kirito struggled to meet with the small blade shooting towards him from above, his weapon taking the full force of the blow as he awkwardly held it in some last ditch effort of defense. Alas, taking a hit from such short range when combined with his subpar counter against it meant that his weapon did little more than make contact with the blade; failing to dissipate any of the immense power behind it and locking him into position. But, in all his efforts to stop the bosses first blade from hitting him directly, he had forgotten one important thing, there were now two blades to worry about. Swiping across in a horizontal motion towards his exposed hip, Kirito rushed to release a sword skill; one that would push away the blade holding him in place and allow him to dodge the second one. Only marginally successful in his plan Kirito jumped back at the same time as the blade made contact. His actions too late to be completely preventative as the small weapon cut into his skin, taking his once green health bar deep into the yellow.

"Kirito!"

Asuna shouted out, unable to remain quiet as she watched Kirito be sliced by the bosses blade from her position on the opposite side. Not able to do much more than watch while it happened she rushed to activate a sword Skill, hoping that even if she couldn't stop the first then she would be able to do something against the next attack **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** was now preparing to release. Equally spurred into motion by what they had seen, Klein and the rest of his party had also began running in, doubt about if they could help now all but forgotten as they rushed to aid them in some way.

Unaware of the rush happening behind him Krito held his sword in a weak grasp while holding the blade in front of him, his stance making it look as though he was preparing for a dual. Blocking the attack before with such a haphazard defense had numbed his right hand, meaning that he now held the blade with his predominantly weaker left one; a fact which could be seen as the blade swayed slightly. Staring at his enemy before him as they began to wurl up for an attack, he felt as if time itself had slowed down. The voices of the few people he had become acquainted with calling out his name as they rushed in to help, accompanied by the haunting silence of the rest of the raid party as they continued to watch and do nothing. He'd thought he had it, their strategy was working and they had the boss on the ropes. Just a few more cycles and they would have won, but now. Now it looked like once again it was going to be **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** who won.

Trying to grasp his blade with a stronger grip his emotions began to get the better of him. He didn't want that, he didn't want to die; to lose his life at the hands of a game developer acting out some perverted fantasy. Losing himself further he felt his grip on his sword begin to weaken, the boss now charging at him as he dropped down to the floor, his knees giving out in the face of a hopeless endeavour. There were no tears, no outward sorrow as he knew the inevitable was about to happen. He just hoped that in the end he had been a better player, a better brother and a better friend, one who didn't need the anonymity of an avatar to function socially.

""Kirito!"" His friends shouted out, their arms outstretched as if doing so would allow them to grab him and pull him to safety.

The dual blades that would be his end glowed a brilliant gold as for once the boss made use of a sword skill. The fluorescent weapons cutting through the air in a mesmerizing routine as they prepared to dole out their owners bidding. Unable to watch what was about to happen Kirito closed his eyes, the dark offering comfort where the light had led him to despair.

…..

…

..

"Don't forget about me!" The voice called out, their heavy tone rising above the roar of **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]**.

Accompanying the players shout was their weapon, a heavy metal mace which impacted the boss's head with a powerful strike. As if to demonstrate this power the impact site caved slightly, their enemies metal helmet buckling as it tried to absorb the hit. Though the attack barley dealt any damage, the time it brought and the distraction it caused were more than enough. Looking to the source of the voice Kirito once more opened his eyes, time seemingly still paused as he saw of all people Lisbeth high above the boss, her mace embedded firmly in its metal helmet. At the same time Kirito's attention was grabbed by a notification sound, followed by a small status symbol appearing next to the bosses health bar. Lisbeth's attack may have not been able to deal much damage, but it had still been a direct hit to their enemies head and imparted a stun effect -a probable stand in for what would have been a concussion in real life- as a result.

Started by Lisbeth's attack and continued by the status effect inflicted upon their enemy a path slowly began to open itself up in front of Kirito. Where before there had been no chance of survival there was now an opportunity for him to live- no. More than that, there was now a chance for victory. He scrambled to his feet, tripping once before he successfully did so as he tried to will on his uncorprotive body. Grabbing hold of his fallen sword he kicked off from his position as he had done many times before. After breaking into a sprint he began to line up a sword skill, one he used the most and the only one that would give him a chance at success, **«** **Sonic Leap** **»**.

The fact that **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** now wielded two weapons meant that their previous strategy was all but blown out of the water. Rather their best chance at victory, their only chance was to charge in head first. Having already prepared her own sword skill Asuna continued running forward, her distance from the boss now similar to that of Kirito. Though they hadn't discussed it, each one of them knew what to do; their makeshift party coming together to deliver the triangle of damage that would be the bosses demise.

""Ahhhh!""

The two players cried out as they closed the final distance, the boss still stunned from Lisbeth's attack while their weapons connected with their target. Sinking deep into the body of their foe their weapons dealt a steady stream of damage, pulling the yellow health bar down as a result. All The While the three of them continued to shout, their calls resonating with their attacks until finally, in one last ditch effort **[Illfang, the Kobold Lord]** raised his weapons up in an attempt to attack. At which point the three players called out louder and pushed their weapons in further, before finally dealing the last bit of damage. Now, after so much fighting, after so many sacrifices on behalf of the raid party, the bosses health bar hit zero and with a satisfying ping to indicate as such. They release one last cry of anguish before bursting into a mass of shimmering, sparkling polygons.

Left standing, basked in the glow of their defeated enemy Asuna and Kirito lowered their weapons. The battle was won and they no longer needed to fight, taking a moment to exchange a glance with each other they shared a brief smile; as if to congratulate the other before they were pulled back to reality by the sound of their third members shield hitting against the marble floor. Looking over the see an exhausted Lisbeth lying on the floor their legs also gave out, leading them to join the breathless tank on the floor.

As if their dropping to the floor was some sort of signal, the room erupted with cheers and shouts, each member celebrating the victory with whoever was closest as they were issued the notification by the game that they had defeated the first boss. At the same as the rest of the raid group celebrated Klein's party also did so, pure amazement and joy on their faces as they ran over to the fallen heroes.

"You did it! You guys actually did it!" He called out as he reached them.

Rolling over so as to face the ceiling Kirito continued to breathe heavily, struggling to recover from the constant assault they had kept up.

"I- I thought we... We were gonners." He said as he saw Klein's group come over.

Listening to his words and unable to keep quiet any longer Lisbeth willed herself to sit up as she spoke her mind. "Just… just do me a favour. Next time you get a crazy idea, leave me out of it."

"You… you trying to say you didn't have fun?" Kirito questioned, attempting to make light of the situation despite them being of death's door just moments before. In response to his words Lisbeth displayed a pout, her face having a dismissive look as she shakily got to her feet.

"I… never thought a boss would be so difficult." Asuna said as she joined the conversation, her breathing also ragged from the previous attack.

"Heh, and it still wasn't enough to stop us." Said with an amount of pride that could only have come from winning such a victory Lisbeth replied to Asuna, before walking over to help her friend up from the cold marble floor.

Curiosity getting the better of him and not being able to wait for the answer any longer, Klein looked down at the player who he had quickly befriended. "What you guys did was crazy, but what I want to know is how'd you do it, Kirito?"

Having regained his breath somewhat Kirito sat up, his sword still in hand as he turned towards Klein and wondered what answer he should give.

"I-"

"By cheating, that's how!"

While the room had been overrun with cheering and celebration, everyone grew quiet as one overly loud voice shouted over them. Making their way through the crowd of players that had assembled at the previous front line, a player with distinctively spiky hair and a beige set of starter gear moved to the front. Confused expressions adorned Klein and the rest of his parties faces as they heard the players words, an expression that was shared by Lisbeth and Asuna as the former continued to help her friend to her feet.

"W-what do you mean cheating? You saw that fight just as I did, they didn't cheat!"

Not being someone who could remain quiet when one of his friends were being accused, Klein spoke up; jumping to the defense of the exhausted player.

"Oh yeah? Then how did he know how the boss would react? How were they able to attack it without getting attacked themselves?"

"That's..." Stumped at the players words Klein stood still, his brain drawing a blank on a plausible explanation. After all, he hadn't even had the chance to ask Kirito that exact same question himself. In response to his blank look the accusing player's face formed a smile, confident in how they were leading the conversation. Now turning back to face the crowd while hiding his smile, the player addressed them; his voice giving away his own joy.

"See!" He started, his arms shooting up into the air in an attempt to make it more dramatic. "Even they don't know how he did it, but- I'll tell ya. I'll tell you how they did it, how they played the system and made sure they'd get the LA bonus." Turning back to face those that he was accusing the player met Kirito's gaze for but a second before pointing an accusing finger. "He, he's a former Beta tester!"

Hushed whispers immediately broke out amongst the players. Despite Diavels work to break down the wall between regular players and beta testers the night before, many still had negative views towards them. Not counting the fact that even though he had claimed they would be the ones to fight at the front, he had been the only one to come forward as a beta tester. Understanding this sentiment and using it to his advantage the speaker continued to talk.

"That's right, a beta tester! Someone who had first hand knowledge of the game before launch, but instead of using that to help the rest of us; like Diavel had promised." He said before finding and staring at said player amongst the crowd. "He decided to keep it to himself, just so he could get the last attack bonus!"

With the players words spurring them on shouting began to break out amongst the players. "Yeah, they should have helped us!"

"It's their fault we're in this mess to begin with!"

As quickly as the room had fallen into silence it had once again descended into chaos, players shouting and jeering as they voiced their complaints. For the most part many of the players still believed that the beta testers were to blame for their being trapped. A fact that helped to wall them off from the regular players and the reason that they were often ostracized from the games general society.

Overwhelmed by the players words Klein remained stumped for what to do. He was aware of Kirito's former status as a beta tester but to him, that didn't change a thing. There was no way of him knowing something was going to go down during launch day and fact was, the knowledge Kirito had gained as a beta tester and how he had used it; far outweighed any sort of vendetta he might of held towards him as a result of his past. With such a thought in his mind he turned to Kirito, an acquaintance turned friend as he struggled to come up with a solution to the situation.

Noticing Klein's gaze Kirito returned it as he remained in his position on the floor, still trying to recover from the boss fight that seemed to have all but been forgotten. It was obvious from how he was acting that Klein didn't know what to do and despite wanting to help, didn't know how to. _That's just the type of person he is_. The thought almost caused the boy to chuckle. Here he was, about to ousted as an enemy of the player base; But sill, still Klein wanted to help him. Glancing at the rest of Klein's group he tried to gauge their thoughts which by the looks of it, were by and large neutral to, despite his having been outed as a former beta tester. Moving his gaze further as he began the motions to get up, he caught sight of Lisbeth and Asuna. The two were now steady on their feet and met with Kirito's eyes as they fell upon them. Asuna still held an exhausted expression as she seemingly ignored what the raid party was shouting about. Though whether that was because she didn't see the beta testers as to blame or that she simply didn't understand the situation and was more worried about recovering from the boss fight, Kirito wasn't sure. Lisbeth on the other hand showed a slight frown on her face as she stared back at him. It wasn't enough to make her look angry, but from that look alone he could tell she had some opinions about the current situation. Though once again, he wasn't sure whether they were good or bad.

Pushing himself completely off the ground the black haired player turned to face his accuser who he had come to recognize from the day before, Kibaou. Noting that the groups gaze had moved from him to behind him, Kibaou turned before a smirk once again graced his lips. A small action, but one that made Kirito falter slightly. He had never been very good at public speaking and to do so against someone with such a clear agenda against him; well it likely wasn't going to end well. Kirito like many, was aware of the animosity held towards those who were former beta testers, but he had been hoping to never have to confront it himself. Which, unless he chose to tell people about himself of his own volition was rather likely. There was a sort of unwritten rule amongst the beta testers that they weren't to reveal who the others were and, with the almost complete lack of info brokers this early on, the chances that they would be outed were slim to none.

But that had all changed when Diavel had decided to speak up, whether the pressure of keeping such a secret had gotten too much for him, or he thought his actions were necessary for advancing the game. He had chosen to reveal his identity as a former beta tester. Most likely hoping that by coming out and explaining everything, along with how they were in fact helping the player base at large then it would reduce some of the hate and blame directed towards them.

"So, does the cheater have anything to say for himself?" Kibaou asked as he took a step forward, fully aware that at this point he practically had the rest of the players eating out of the palm of his hand.

With his sword returned to its scabbard and his hands -one of which had grabbed onto his shirt for support- hanging by his side Kirito prepared to make his case, hoping to resolve the situation in a way that didn't leave him as an outlaw. "I-"

"You're...?" Kibaou questioned as he leaned forward, his hands finding perch on his hips as he steadied himself. "You're what? You're sorry that you ran off and left the rest of us alone? You're sorry that you waited until the last moment to act just so you could have all the glory and look like a hero?"

Having walked close enough to be within inches of his face, Kibaou reached out with his hand and pushed with his index finger against the quiet players chest.

"It's because of you that all those players are dead. If you hadn't waited so long then they might still be alive."

"Yeah, it's his fault that they died!" Someone shouted as they heard Kibaou's words.

"That's right! He should pay for what he's done!"

Once again the crowd of players began cheering and chanting as Kibaou spear headed their verbal assault.

"You're- you're wrong! Kirito's actions saved lives!" In a state of panic Klein shouted out at Kibaou, his party members also joining in as they tried to battle the chanting players. An action that caught Kibaou's attention as he turned his gaze from Kirito to Klein.

"Don't kid yourself into thinking he saved anyone, it was his actions that brought this on and if you agree with them. Then your just as much to blame as he is."

With the situation turning heated Kirito gave one last look to Asuna and Lisbeth who were now standing to his side, before he shifted his gaze to the floor. He should have known this would happen, when people didn't understand something, they often came to their own conclusions. Even if those conclusions were wildly incorrect. He should have explained what he had learnt about observing the boss to Diavel or one of the other groups. That being that it didn't use sword skills; rather, it used a special set of skills that encompassed its weaponry and its improved maneuverability.

Once it had taken enough damage the boss would have no choice but to use a skill to get away, and with so few players around it this meant that the system always defaulted to using a movement skill. This simple fact was what had allowed Kirito, Lisbeth and Asuna to keep up their attack when others had been wiped out. Looking around now at the anger and hatred being directed at him for keeping this information to himself, he wondered what he could possibly say that would placate them. Was there a way out? With so many people thinking that he had acted out of malicious intent then his only real option would be… _hiding?_ To cut himself off from the rest of the player base and wait for the game to be cleared? Clenching his fists and closing his eyes Kirito's mind played with such thoughts. It was the only real viable option, there was no other alternative in which something like this wouldn't happen again; and there was no way he could think of to personally regain the trust of players. If that was the case then…

"Enough!"

The shout came as a precursor to almighty bang as the sound of metal meeting metal rangout, causing many of the players to hold their ears in hopes of stopping the almost piercing sound. Looking to were the voice and loud sound had come from people saw a familiar blue haired knight in a defensive position, his shield having just blocked an attack from a large axe wilding player.

"We've just beaten the first boss of this game and instead of celebrating you're all trying to tear each other apart."

Moving out from the crowd Diavel took a stand where Kibaou had been moments before, his shield hand shaking slightly.

"Yes there were people who were knowledgeable about the game before its release. Yes we - including myself- took advantage of that to get a head start over other players and yes, for that reason alone you should resent us."

Taking a moment to regain his breath Diavel looked at the crowd of players before continuing.

"But, that was only true for the start of the game. I like many have realized this and have tried to correct it. For example, Agil!" He shouted, signalling to the well built player behind him to throw the item they had talked about moments before.

"This, this is what I'm talking about. All of you here are likely in possession of this very book. A book containing information on the first through fourth floors, along with their bosses. This book which no doubt helped many of you, was made by those very same beta testers you seek to attack."

An air of apprehension fell among the players as the origins of something which had been a lifeline for new players was revealed.

"This book has played a key part in us clearing the first floor and it was only possible because many of us were former beta testers."

Once again stopping Diaval observed the players in front of him, attempting to gauge what they were thinking.

"Hey I have that book, I use it all the time." One of them whispered, not wanting to shout out incase some didn't agree.

"Yeah me as well. I didn't know it was the beta testers who made it."

"Maybe we... _should,_ forgive them?"

Hushed whispers broke out amongst the raid party as they processed what they had been told, each member trying to come to some sort of conclusion about what it meant and what they should do now.

"That's not right!" Kibaou shouted, drawing Diavel's gaze to him. "Just because they gave out a little information for free it doesn't mean they can get off scot free after what they've done."

Releasing an internal groan Diavel thought about how best to deal with Kibou. Though he hadn't known him for long he didn't think that Kibaou was a bad person, it was more that he was afraid of their situation and was using the hatred of the beta testers as a sort of scapegoat; a way to keep himself distracted.

"Kibaou you're right, the creation of a book doesn't absolve us of all that we've done, and nor should it. But, it's a fact that we're all trapped in this together and we need each other if we want to make it out. You can resent us, you can hate us, you can blame us all you want. But just until we make it out of this game, please I ask you; work with us." He asked, his eyes showing genuine want as he tried to convey not only his own hopes for a resolution. But also those from the players who had pushed him to speak in the first place.

* * *

"This isn't looking good." The tall, well built player remarked as he watched Kibaou's verbal tirade against the player he had chosen to single out. From his position among the rest of the raid party he could tell that unless someone intervened, then the beta tester likely wasn't going to get out alive, both physically and metaphorically speaking. Despite knowing where Kibaou's words were ultimately going to lead, the large player; Agil as he was known. Chose not to speak up. He may have wanted to help, but just wanting to help didn't mean he could. He knew that getting involved would do little more than put himself in the firing line, leading to them both being taken down.

With such a thought in mind his gaze moved from the loud mouthed Kibaou to probably the only player who had a chance at resolving this stupid mess, Diavel. He was after all the player leading this expedition and in a sense had a duty to try and keep the peace. Not to mention his grand speech the day before about how beta testers and regular players should work together to escape.

Having been standing still like the rest of the raid group while he watched events unfold Diavel was left clueless on what to do. Honestly both his emotions and mind were a jumbled mess at the moment, they had just won the first major victory of the game and now here they were, trying to undo all of that good because of how a player got them that victory. If not for their situation then maybe he could have laughed about it, that being how utterly ridiculous it sounded,

"Hey, you gave a speech about the beta testers before, right?"

Surprised by the sudden words Diavel turned to see who had spoken to him. But rather than coming face to face with another player like he had expected, he was instead met with another players broad chest. Taking a step back in shock as much as he did to be able to see the person speaking to him. Diavel looked at the large well built player who had come up to speak to him.

"Y-yes." He managed the croak out. The height of the player and the fact that he didn't actually know them or their intentions making him somewhat nervous.

"We'll. Don't you think you should speak up."

"I-" He began as if he were about to give an answer, but stopped when he realised he didn't actually have an answer to give. The taller player was of course right, Diavel was basically the leader of the raid and thus had a duty to keep it under control. But- even if he knew that he had to say something, actually speaking up was a different matter. It had been easy before when he'd spoken during the initial meeting. There had been nothing to act as a spark for players as ready to complain as Kibaou was and so the meeting had gone largely as planned. Of course he'd had spoken up before but having been in such a relaxed atmosphere to begin with Diavel had had no problems dealing with him. However it was different now, they were no longer in the peaceful outdoors. But instead the first floor boss room, a place that easily generated those triggering sparks.

Waiting for Diavel to give him an answer Agil looked back over to Kibaou who by this point had moved much closer to the player he was outing. His words were still as loud as before, only now being projected much closer to the person they were being aimed at.

"Unless someone says something they're probably going to end up dead." Wanting to spur Diavel on a little Agil said those words while turning back to face him. "Well, at the very least he's going to be an outcast."

At the larger players words Diavel's body tensed up, his arms and legs jolting at the thought of another player's death being because of his lack of leadership. Even if this particular death was more than likely to be social in nature.

"Excuse me mister." Pulled from his thoughts before he could fully comprehend them a quiet, soft voice joined the one sided conversation as the younger sister who had been rescued before came up beside Agil. "Umm, you... You said something before that stopped the shouting, can't- can't you so that again?"

Moving his gaze from the larger player Diavel stared at the small girl who had just joined them. She couldn't have been more than 12 years old and her appearance made for an interesting sight when she stood next to Agil. She seemed short even for a 12 year old and her body looked like it was shaking slightly, though where this was out of fear or continued shock from before when the boss had nearly killed her Diavel couldn't tell. Though one thing he could tell was that dispute her obvious distress, her face showed a want like that expressed by her words.

"Sayori!" Yet another voice called, once more preventing Diavel from coming to a decision about what to do.

Running over to join her younger sister, Yumi took hold of the younger girl before trying and failing to pull her away. "Come on, we shouldn't get involved."

"But the person that helped us is getting shouted at. it's not fair." The younger sister complained her face now forming a pout at not being able to get her own way.

Watching the two sisters argue served to help Diavel calm down, their typically sibling behaviour looking very out of place in a game like SAO and thereby breaking up the tense atmosphere somewhat. Holding back a chuckle as he watched the two squabble Diavel reaffirmed his stance .The smaller girl was right of course, he needed to speak up now or there _would_ be consequences later. So having made up his mind he turned back to the taller player who had first prompted him before opening his menu, the buttons he pressed resulting in a small dialogue window showing in front of Agil; specifically a party invite.

"Agil, you're right. And I'm sorry that I didn't act sooner." He said before quickly facing the siblings "That goes for you too, I'm sorry that I waited until now but I promise that I'll stop the shouting." Diavel said before showing a smile, one that seemed to please the younger sibling as she showed a happy expression and nodded her head. Having said his thanks Diavel once again turned back to the tall player.

"Now if you Agil, I have an idea but it's going to require some help. So if you could" He finished while pointing towards the menu in front of him. He was ready to speak up, but doing so would only be possible with another's help.

* * *

"Hmph, fine. I'll work with you lot, but only so we can get out. After that you can be sure that I'm going to find each and everyone of you in the real world. And when I do you're going to pay for not speaking up sooner."

Finishing his speech Kibaou looked back at Diavel, his expression betraying his surprise at just how much Kibaou seemed to blame the beta testers for their situation. But, even if he did blame them, he'd now said he was willing to work together; at least until they made it back to the real world. So for now at least their attention could return to beating the game and maybe, just maybe making it out alive.

"Good!" Diavel shouted, before turning around to address the rest of the raid party. "We have a long path ahead and we'll need strong allies!" Though his words were meant to incite some kind of community, they instead illicented laughter from the group at large.

"Really Diavel, are you sure you're not an NPC?" One of the shouted.

"Yeah, maybe you're a quest giver and you just don't know it!"

As quickly as they had fallen into silence the group burst into laughter and cheers as they once again celebrated their victory, along with their surprise at the weird character Diavel was playing. Shaking his head at their reactions Diavel turned back to look at Kibaou, who no longer had any reason to be near the beta tester and had thus walked back to join his own group. At the same time Kirito caught onto the fact that he was being looked at and returned Diavel's gaze, the two not saying a word given their distance; instead just sharing a nod and understanding smile. Once again Diavel had been able to resolve the situation, but even if he had. It was nothing more than a temporary solution, something which would no doubt rear its ugly head again in the future.

* * *

 **Well, to say it's been a while would be an understatement, especially considering it's been around 10 months since the last update. Which really wasn't planned, but then again something like that never is. I'll explain why a bit later on but just know that going into the new year, I'm hoping to return to a somewhat regular schedule of around one chapter a month. At least as a bare minimum to get me started.**

 **But enough about delays and schedules, we should probably talk about the chapter, or I guess chapters in this case. With their completion it marks the end of the first story arc and looking back now there's a whole bunch of stuff I would've liked to change. But they're done and I now know that unless I tell myself to stop and move on then I'd probably just keep rewriting them. To tell you the truth I had hoped to be done with the Aincrad arc at this point, considering it has been a year since I uploaded the first chapter; but as you can tell that didn't happen. Something which I think leads on perfectly to why it took so long for me to complete chapters 5 and 6 in the first place.**

 **To start with I actually had chapter 5 done a couple of weeks after chapter 4, all I had to do was read over it and it was ready to go. But after finishing it and realising that 6 was basically just going to be the boss battle, I thought it'd probably be better to put them both up at once. And thus the problems began.**

 **Ultimately there were two main issues that came up after I finished which I wanted to address. First off was with regards to the player cursor's and the anti-harassment system.** **My own assumption was that the anti-harassment system only triggered when in town or within a** _ **safe**_ **area as deemed by the game and that it wouldn't trigger for those you were in a party with. Reason being that if you were partied up with someone then you trusted them enough to not need the anti-harassment system. Which also leads nicely into the problem of player cursor's, specifically that Lisbeth should now have an orange cursor, because she previously blocked an attack from Asuna. Again my assumption here is that if you're in a party with someone then there's a certain amount of trust for them to not attack you, as well as the fact that there's a chance weapons could collide in the middle of combat. As a result the cursor change doesn't trigger in either of these cases. But in doing so this unintentionally caused another problem, that being continuity as chapter 5 is written in such a way as Asuna only just finds out about the friend system and by extension the party system. As a result her and Lisbeth couldn't have been in a party when they first met Kirito and Klein, so how come her cursor didn't change? This continuity problem also cropped up in my second issue, that being Asuna herself.**

 **After someone mentioned that Asuna seemed very out of character in the previous chapters I decided chapter 5 needed yet another rewrite. Originally I planned for there to be a reason behind Asuna's weariness of the male player base after an incident involving her and Lisbeth on the day the game launched, but after thinking about it more I've decided to scrap the idea. Of course this is something I only decided after I started rewriting chapter 5 and so there's some pretty serious continuity problems with regards to her character. But I'm hoping I managed to do it in such a way that it isn't too over the top and that it's at least somewhat believable.**

 **Despite these problems I've made a decision that I need to move on. After spending so long on just these two chapters I now realise that unless I tell myself to stop rewriting then I probably never will. Are they now perfectly written? No. Do they line up perfectly with the previous chapters? Not really. But with them marks the end of this arc and the start of the next. A chance for me to pretty much start again in terms of both character and world building.**

 **With that in mind, I hope you're at least a little interested in where this story goes next. It won't be perfect and I'm sure I'll get a whole bunch of stuff wrong. But I know the story I want to tell and after having so long to think about it, have come to terms with the fact that I'm just not a good enough writer to tell it in the way that I envisioned it. So just remember to temper your expectations and know that your input is what will help me become a better writer.**

 **Anyway, I think I've rambled on enough at this point. If you have any questions or queries then don't hesitate to ask, I'm happy to explain my reasoning so long as it doesn't spoil future plot points and doesn't give too much away. With that said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you all for chapter 7 sometime in the new year.**

 **(That being in January… Hopefully.)**


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